The village is reputed to be the largest in the country and around 10,000 people live here. The village has grown and spread in recent years and now has three primary schools and one secondary school – Braunton Community College. It hasn’t always been as large as this though; in living memory there were just seven streets in Braunton, each of which had farms. Farming and shipping were the two industries that sustained Braunton from medieval times right through to the second World War. Since then however, life in Braunton has begun to change. Since Braunton’s very earliest days, the village has relied heavily on farming.
The Great Field Braunton’s Great Field is one of its finest assets and, although it has always been prized as an almost miraculously fertile area that ‘teemed with incessant crops’, it is now treasured as one of only two surviving medieval open strip field systems in England. Such fields were the norm for our ancestors but virtually all were sacrificed in the name of development. The surviving Great Field is special indeed and it is said that to walk on land that has seen such little change for so many years is to walk into the medieval past. The Great Field today is smaller than it used to be but even so covers an area of more than 200 football pitches! It is farmed by a small number of farmers now but began life very differently, with a vast number of landworkers toiling there every day to grow enough food to support their families.
Shipping Braunton’s early success also relied heavily on shipping. Although it might not be obvious today, Braunton’s links with the sea were as strong as those at the better-known village of Appledore, just across the Estuary. In January 1853, Braunton Pill (where the River Caen and Knowle Water meet, before flowing out to sea) was straightened, to allow larger ships up the river than had hitherto been possible. The next twenty years saw the new Velator Quay boom and a phenomenal variety of cargoes passed through Velator, including coal, iron ore from the local mines, gravel, scrap iron, railway sleepers, pit props, salt and other minerals, manure, vegetables and cereals from the Great Field – to name just some.
The railway Shipping was then the only method of transporting large cargoes but the coming of the railway effectively caused Velator Quay to decline. Many goods left Braunton by rail, bound for markets all over the country and one major export was flowers – grown at Braunton Bulb Farm between 1923 and 1969 – which were sent to Covent Garden market in London.
Nowadays, Brauntonians enjoy a fast pace of life with all the comforts and luxuries that modern times afford.
Good surf The quality of local surf means that surf shops abound and help to maintain a balance of ages and interests within the local population.
Innovative businesses In addition, there are many innovative, emerging businesses based in the village, as well as an impressive selection of traditional shops such as butchers, bakers, greengrocers, florists, hardware shops and stationers.
22 22 To advertise To advertise call dvertise callal 0123 01237 422074 237 422074 or ema mag@ x33 207 or maiill
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