Braunton

Braunton, one of the largest villages in the West of England and reputedly the largest in England, lies in the North West of Devon, overlooking Barnstaple Bay. It is two miles from the sea and through the centre runs the Caen Stream a tributary of the Taw. It took its name from the Goidel saint, Brannock, who came from South Wales as a missionary and converted the native Britons to the christian faith in 550 AD.

Today, Braunton is a lively village, catering for the diverse interests of its many visitors. The large number of surf shops, which sell and hire equipment, reflect the status of local beaches as major surfing venues.

Climb to Braunton Beacon at the top of West Hill and enjoy the panoramic view of Braunton Great Fields, one of the few remaining examples of medieval strip farming and the Braunton Burrows nature reserve.

Raggamuffins? Bistro, at Cross Tree Centre, is a?day time café serving delicious, fresh hand-cut sandwiches, warm baguettes and light lunches. During evenings?the candles are lit as Raggamuffins gets ready to serve you with the very best of local food.

Choose from a varied menu, which includes fresh fish and local farm meat, all cooked fresh to order with seasonal?vegetables. You can even share the bistro’s signature dish of a fresh fish feast.?Don’t forget to leave room for a homemade pudding and local wines are sold to take home.

Signposted from the centre of Braunton, is the gallery run by Walter Elliott, an artist of international repute. His paintings have been exhibited widely and have won many awards. His forte’ is pastels, yet there are many fine examples of his watercolours and oils also on display. His paintings are realistic and compassionate, able to convey feelings with a special sympathy. They have a wide appeal, being able to reach those who are not usually touched by art of this kind.

Braunton & District Museum lies adjacent to the village’s main FREE car park and the Tarka Trail and offers something of interest to most people, whether they just want to catch a glimpse of times past or spend more time investigating local or family history.

The main themes of the Museum reflect the areas agricultural and maritime heritage and there is an interactive display featuring Braunton’s Great Field, one of only two Saxon strip farming systems remaining in England, which will fascinate the children.

The maritime display is based on the thriving port of Vellator, which is just 2 minutes drive or 10 minutes walk from the village centre. This section features scale models of many of the Braunton vessels hand made by local mariner Sam Mitchell who used to be one of Braunton’s ‘bar men’ who sailed out over the treacherous Barnstaple Bar.

Everyone will enjoy browsing the digital archive of photographs of the area on the upper floor of the Museum which also features various temporary special exhibitions. The Curator and local volunteers are on hand and will help you complete the free quiz sheets if you ask them.

Old South Street

The Museum is open all year’ Monday to Saturday 10am until 4pm with extended opening hours during the summer months. The building is accessible to wheelchair users and there is a chair lift available to the first floor. We are grateful to the Museum for permission to use the illustration on this page.