Westward Ho!, North Devon – How Charles Kingsley made the village
The history of the tiny , stunningly attractive and immensely popular North Devon resort of Westward Ho! is fascinating. This is where both fact and fiction have come together and created a place that caused great interest.
It is necessary to return to the mid 1800’s to find the roots of this village. In 1855, Charles Kingsley, an author living in Devon, wrote a novel which he titled Westward Ho! The book itself centres around a young sailor and the fights with the Spanish in Elizabethan times. Throughout he uses his descriptive talent to lovingly depict the beauty of the North Devon coast, and in detail the area around Bideford and Pebble Ridge, both places very well known to him from his younger days.
The novel was an instant hit, sold well and alerted the Victorians to untapped splendour over in the west of the England. At the time of his bookthe stretch of land that is now Westward Ho! was just fields overlooking a sandy beach. Then in 1864, the powers that be of that time, recognised the potential and commercial gains to be had. So they set about developing the site, with the creation of a hotel and villas facing out towards the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently name the village after the book’s title.
The major access point to the village was the area of outstanding natural beauty that is Northam Burrows which is protected from the ravages of the sea by the awesome storm bank of Pebble Ridge. The amazing beach would be the focus point, stretching 2 miles towards the town of Bideford. Sadly, this move did not sit well Kingsley, who never hide how much he found the project to be unpleasant, believing that his beloved spot had been tainted. A feeling that only slightly mellowed before his death in 1875.
The first residents in the village were retired army and navy officers who constantly increased in numbers each year up to the 1900. By the early 1900’s the resort had grown significantly and continued that way right up the the commencement of Second World War. In that traumatic period the village was basically taken over for the war effort, with all schools being evacuated.
Just like everywhere else in England, Westward Ho! took a long time to get back on its feet after war ended, and it would be the 1960’s before it really started to grow again. By the mid 1970’s it was at the height of its popularity, with thousands of tourists and visitors flocking to the resort throughout the summer months; either taking their yearly holiday, or just having days out. Unfortunately, the advent of the foreign package holiday to places like France and Italy, meant that this was the peak for its numbers and a steady decline began.
Its appeal was never for the type of holidays found overseas and so Westward Ho! remains a popular destination for families looking for a beach holiday to keep the young one’s happy, or those simply searching for romantic and wonderful walks taking in the spectacular scenery.
The journey to where it is today has taken this resort along several rocky paths, but ultimately it remains a charming, captivating and enchanting holiday resort.
For more information on where to stay and what to do at Westward Ho! North Devon – visit the Westward Ho! website
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