Instow Front and Rear

by Ken Trethewey

On August Bank Holiday Mondays - especially hot, summery ones like this - Instow is a throbbing little seaside village, close to Bideford and on the road to Barnstaple. It is easy to miss it these days because the by-pass takes motorists quickly past. However, if you take the little road that leads into the village you find a pretty little place right next to the beach that always shouts at me to stop and take a look. Strangely, until today, I had not been aware that there is a pair of leading lights here. The Torridge estuary is very large with many twisting channels through the shifting sands. Whilst the sandbanks may make delightful beaches, they are not too friendly towards shipping. There have always been significant shipyards here - at Appledore - and the level of activity here is strong even today.

[Bideford lighthouse, Michel Forand Collection]

Over a hundred years ago, my family lived here in a wonderful lighthouse that consisted of a spacious house with a lighthouse tower built into the roof. The lighthouse was called Bideford lighthouse, though it was located close to Braunton and on the part of the sandbanks known as Braunton Burrows. Sadly, the lighthouse was destroyed in the early 20th century and almost nothing now remains. Today a small framework tower lighthouse takes its place in a location close by the original site and called Crow Point. However, there is a need for leading lights to guide ships into harbour through the channel so consequently two lights are maintained at Instow, just across the water from Crow Point.

[Instow Front, Ken Trethewey, 2002]

The front lighthouse is just outside the grounds of Instow Cricket Club. To find it, you need to pass through the village and enter the carpark amongst the sand dunes. Alternatively, you can take the old railway track that is now a cycle track and you will come to it. The rear lighthouse is some distance away and situated on the other side of the by-pass, close to the place where the road leads back into the village. Thus, as you are on the by-pass with Instow on your left and the turn to Instow village also on your left, take the right turn into the small road, drive just up the hill, park in the road and walk right up to the rear light which sits on high ground in a field.

[Instow Rear, Ken Trethewey, 2002]

The two lighthouses are strictly functional, rather than aesthetic, but they do have signs on them that show their ownership to Trinity House. A small bit of humour lies in the fact that there is a dummy bird of prey fixed high up on the front light - presumably to prevent damage to the structure of the lights from perching birds.

Copyright 2002 Ken Trethewey; all rights reserved.

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Posted August 12, 2005. Site copyright 2005 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.