Castlefacts³

Ilfracombe Town Wall

Has been described as a Questionable Urban Defence

There are no visible remains

Name	Ilfracombe Town Wall
Alternative Names	Ilfredecombe
Historic Country	Devonshire
Modern Authority	Devon
1974 Authority	Devon
Civil Parish	Ilfracombe

C15 Stone walls planned but probably never built or never completed. Single grant of murage in 1418.

Grant to the good men of the town of Ilfredecombe, co. Devon, who have begun to build a new stone tower on either side of the port there and to enclose the town with stone walls and high towers, of murage for one year. (CPR dated 15 July 1418)

Gatehouse Comments

Although murage was not the only way to fund defences one years grant in a small port would not have raised much money. The much larger and more important town of Barnstaple was, at this time, allowing its defences, which dated back to Saxon times, to fall into decay. Although the Devon coast was subject to some pirate raids defense is not the real issue here. The planned walls have the feel of a, ill considered, local initiative to, superficially, gain trade and more likely gain some prestige for a few local men. However, a pier, with a lighthouse tower would have been a positive asset for the port and this may all that was really intended. St Nicholas Chapel, on Lantern Hill (SS 52514788), is a C15 building which is documented as being used as a lighthouse since C16 - was this chapel/lighthouse the real result of this initiative?

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number

Historic England Listed Building number(s)

(St Nicholas Chapel)
1208792

Images Of England

390232

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

34121
872104

County Historic Environment Record

www.devon.gov.uk/environment/historic_environment.htm

OS Map Grid Reference	SS525478
Latitude	51.2111206054688
Longitude	-4.11288976669312
Eastings	252500
Northings	147800