Ilfracombe (/ˈɪlfrəkuːm/ IL-frə-koom) is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs.

The resort is hilly and the highest point within the parish boundary is 'Hore Down Gate', 2 miles (3 km) inland and 860 feet (270 m) above sea level.

The 13th-century parish church, Holy Trinity, and the St Nicholas's Chapel (a lighthouse) on Lantern Hill, have been joined by Damien Hirst's statue of Verity as points of interest.

The translation of this name (from Walter William Skeat of the department of Anglo Saxon at Cambridge University) means the "Valley of the sons of Alfred".

[2][3] The manor house at Chambercombe in east Ilfracombe was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as being built by a Norman knight Champernon (from Chambernon in France) who landed with William of Normandy.

The building which sits on Lantern Hill by the harbour, known as St Nicholas's Chapel (built 1361) is reputed to be the oldest working lighthouse in the UK; a light/beacon has been there for over 650 years.

James Bowen was sailing master of HMS Queen Charlotte, the flagship of Richard, Earl Howe at the 1794 "Glorious First of June" battle.

He rose through the levels - commander of HMS Argo, Dreadnought, and in Georgian England titled "defender of Madeira", led the fleet which rescued the British Army at Corunna in the Peninsular War.

For his skill in saving the Peninsula army from Napoleon's forces, he was presented to a joint meeting of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament to receive the rare honour of record of "grateful thanks of the nation".

A few years later in the 1820s, a set of four tunnels were hand-carved by Welsh miners to permit access to the beaches by horse-drawn carriage as well as on foot.

These tunnels led to a pair of tidal pools, which in accordance with Victorian morals, were used for segregated male and female bathing.

Actor Peter Sellers lived in the town when his parents managed the Gaiety Theatre; he first stepped on the stage there and reputedly played the drums.

In the last two decades, the town has been home to many artists including locally Damien Hirst, and George Shaw a runner up for the Turner Prize.

[27] Ilfracombe overlies slates formed from sedimentary rock that underwent geological stress (creating faults and folds), towards the end of the Carboniferous Period, around 300 million years ago.

Ilfracombe lies within the North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is renowned for its dramatic coastal cliffs and landscape.

[31] A number of light engineering firms provide additional employment and operate within a couple of miles of the town centre at Mullacott Cross.

Now, the nearest National Rail railway station is in Barnstaple and buses provide the public transport link from there to Ilfracombe.

These include:[citation needed] There are also several smaller routes around the town run by the local operator Independent Coach Company.

On 23 June 1894, it was reported in the Ilfracombe Chronicle that over 2,500 people arrived in no less than seven boats, it describes them as 'commodious and well-appointed vessels with an excellent reputation for speed and comfort.'

The period from 1830 to 1900 was a time of great development and has been the subject of several books by J Bates the architecture of Ilfracombe which gives the town a Victorian flavour visible in many buildings.

[40] The statue depicts a pregnant woman holding aloft a sword while carrying the scales of justice and standing on a pile of law books.

[citation needed] Since at least the mid-17th century a light has been displayed from the 14th-century chapel atop Lantern Hill, to guide ships entering the harbour.

[43] The light is presently operated by the harbour authority and the Grade I listed building is owned by the North Devon Council.

Regular worship in the chapel ceased at the Reformation, and for a time the building served as a cottage for lighthouse keepers before falling into some dilapidation.

[citation needed] The first person to swim the 30½ nautical miles (56.5 km; 35.1 mi) from Ilfracombe to Swansea was Gethin Jones, who achieved the record on 13 September 2009, taking nearly 22 hours.

The first of these is the annual "South West Birdman" contest which involves entrants seeking to 'fly' from the pier in home-made flying machines.

[citation needed] During the early 1990s, the team of the popular English reality TV show Challenge Anneka relocated the redundant old wooden library from the Hermitage site, to "Burnside" in the heart of the Slade Valley estate for use as a community-owned centre.

The fire brigade's entire equipment was a manual Merryweather engine, a hose-reel cart and one telescopic ladder on wheels.

Twenty fire engines were required to put out the blaze including a number rushed to the scene from Woolacombe, Barnstaple and the bordering county of Somerset.

The six-storey hotel was completely gutted, with only the front wall, chimney stacks and remains of the lift shaft frame surviving the blaze, and the fire was still being damped-down the following day.