West Buckland, Devon
Coordinates: 51°04′01″N 3°55′15″W / 51.06703°N 3.920947°W
West Buckland is a small village and former manor located 8 miles (13 km) east-south-east of Barnstaple in North Devon, England. South Molton is the nearest town. The hamlet of Elwell lies to its north-east.
History
The manor was formerly part of the Fortescue Estate, owned by the Earls Fortescue of nearby Castle Hill, Filleigh. Earlier the manor together with the advowson of the church had been acquired by the influential Barnstaple merchant and MP John Delbridge (1564-1639).
Description
West Buckland is reached by most travellers along a winding, mostly single track, steep hill up from the A361 North Devon Link Road.
Facilities
Until 2008 the village was served by a small post office; the post office is now held in the church on two afternoons a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14:30–16:00. West Buckland was one of the first villages in the country to arrange this facility. The village has a refurbished village hall, a busy garage, which no longer serves petrol and there is no public house.
West Buckland School
The village may be best known for having given its name to the adjacent co-educational independent West Buckland School: educators of, amongst others, England cricketer Harold Gimblett and British world record triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards.[1] Despite taking the name, the school comprising its preparatory school, three boarding houses and the public school itself is located on an extensive campus about 1 km east of the village and instead it is the small parish church which draws most visitors from the local area. The daily school traffic includes a fleet of long coaches which pass through the narrow village street twice a day.
West Buckland Festival
In September there is a thriving, annual four-day "Festival of Music, Art and Entertainment", which includes both international and local performers, a very successful Art and Craft Exhibition and various workshops.
References
External links
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