Fremington, Devon

Fremington is a large village, civil parish and former manor in North Devon, England, the historic centre of which is situated three miles (5 km) west of Barnstaple.

[2] Fremington Quay was formerly a port on the River Taw, one-half mile (800 m) north of the village centre.

The parish includes the neighbouring former hamlets (greatly expanded in the 20th century) of Bickington to the east and Yelland to the west.

Owing to its quay and right to hold certain fairs or markets, it was briefly a borough that sent members to Parliament in the reign of Edward III.

It was re-modelled in the 19th century by his eventual heirs the Arundell-Yeo family, who added a bow window which displays on three large terracotta relief panels the arms of Acland, Barbor and Yeo quartering Arundell.

[9] The army camp, which occupied about 50 acres (20 ha) of land, remained, but closed on 1 October 2009 when it was no longer economically viable to keep open, as it was hardly used outside the summer months.

[10] Fremington is famous for "Fishley Pottery", made by the family of that name in the Combrew area, examples of which are in the collection of the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon.

Excellent, stone-free clay pits (now mainly worked out) exist in the eastern half of the parish and were also owned by Brannam Pottery and used for their "Barum Ware".

The next nearest boulder clay deposits are in the Gower Peninsula, South Wales, approximately 45 miles (72 km) due north of Fremington across the Bristol Channel.

The existence of the boulder clay is puzzling as the southernmost limit of the Devensian glaciation is believed to have been located over South Wales.

It has been suggested that the surface covering was in some way attached to an ice-mass that drifted across the Bristol Channel and deposited the till over Fremington.

The quay has been redeveloped as an amenity facility with restaurant and provides wide views over the River Taw estuary.

The Fremington great meat pie is described in a song included in Devon Tradition (Topic Records 12TS349), 1979.

The parish church St Peter's was subject to thorough Victorian restoration in 1867 to the designs of the leading architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.

St Peter's medieval tower unusually is positioned at the east end of the church, to the north of the chancel.

Fremington Manor, south front, with St Peter's Parish Church visible to west (left).
Fremington Manor, east front.
Fremington station and quay in 1970 shortly after the steam cranes were removed
The parish church of St Peter in Fremington
Fremington railway station in 2008.
The Tarka Trail is a direct part-coastal path following the former railway