The Bridge Trust is one of Barnstaple’s oldest institutions having been part of the fabric of the town for over 700 years.  It has a venerable past and an exciting future thanks to a large grant from the Cultural Development Fund, a government fund administered by Arts Council England. The fund will help with redevelopment of the Strand end of the building. The Trust is currently recruiting extra trustees to share in shaping that future. 

As the name suggests, the Bridge Trust was originally established to oversee the upkeep of the Long Bridge over the river Taw, which it did for 640 years. During that time, surplus income was invested in property and the trust become a substantial landlord. Profits from letting the properties were distributed to a range of local charitable causes. 

In 1961, responsibility for the Long Bridge was taken over by the Ministry of Transport. The Bridge Trust was registered with the Charity Commission and continued to make grants to local organisations, funded by income from the remaining properties that the Trust owned and managed. 

Perhaps the two most eye-catching buildings the Trust still owns are Bridge Chambers and Bridge Buildings.  

Bridge Chambers is the large brick building at the top of The Strand, the other side of the bridge from the museum. You may be aware of the SOL bookshop on the corner. SOL is an English Language school, and the foreign students are currently taught in another part of the building. There are a large number of office spaces – some of which are currently vacant – and a magnificent hall that was once Barnstaple’s Magistrates Court, but which has fallen into a state of disrepair, and hence the redevelopment program.

Bridge Buildings is the handsome white edifice that occupies the north-west side of The Square. Lilicos occupies the corner of the building and there are residential flats on the upper floors and other businesses at ground level. The Trust owns a further mix of residential and commercial properties on the High Street and Boutport Street. 

The grant from the Cultural Development Fund is focussed on opening up part of Bridge Chambers for year-round community use. In particular, a major refurbishment of the Bridge Trust Hall so that it can serve as a versatile performance space. There are also plans for exhibition space underneath the hall. This is all part of a larger plan to develop Barnstaple’s cultural and leisure facilities in the town centre, which North Devon Council is overseeing. 

These are exciting times for the Trust. The Trust is particularly looking to recruit new trustees with experience of finance or accountancy. If you would like to find out more, please email Graham Lofthouse, Clerk to the Trustees, at clerk@barumbridgetrust.org