North Devon Athenaeum

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North Devon Athenaeum Est. in 1888 the NDA is library & archive based in Barnstaple Library and Record Office.

North Devon has plenty of Literary Links including PG Wodehouse who was born 175 years ago today. Discover more by readi...
15/10/2026

North Devon has plenty of Literary Links including PG Wodehouse who was born 175 years ago today. Discover more by reading our 2019 blog post From Kingsley to Wodehouse. https://tinyurl.com/4nw29jsw

With the Bayeux Tapestry on display and it being the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings we've decided to do a little ...
14/10/2026

With the Bayeux Tapestry on display and it being the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings we've decided to do a little time travelling of our own back to 2016 when we raided our shelves to discover what we might have on our blog. https://tinyurl.com/38dyvmz3

#1066

An interesting bit of Barnstaple history for World Elephant Day can be found in this booklet co-written by our Librarian...
12/08/2026

An interesting bit of Barnstaple history for World Elephant Day can be found in this booklet co-written by our Librarian about the fossilised remains of two elephants that were unearthed in 1844 in a brick field behind the Salem Almshouses and the history of the area they were found. 🐘🐘

Happy International Cat Day from our favourite bar tending kitty, Smokey!
08/08/2026

Happy International Cat Day from our favourite bar tending kitty, Smokey!

In honour of the 50th anniversary of Bruce William Oliver’s death we’re taking a look behind the scenes of our recent ex...
29/07/2026

In honour of the 50th anniversary of Bruce William Oliver’s death we’re taking a look behind the scenes of our recent exhibition celebrating the Grand Old Man of Barnstaple at The Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon over on our blog...

https://tinyurl.com/36w5zce5

We don’t just have local books on our shelves, we also have a more general collection of older books left over from our ...
26/07/2026

We don’t just have local books on our shelves, we also have a more general collection of older books left over from our days as the main local library. Just like these ones by and about George Bernard Shaw, playwright, critic, political activist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925.
Shaw was born 170 years ago today in Dublin, Ireland and died in November 1950 at his home in Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire.

In honour of the 95th anniversary of William Richard Lethaby’s death in 1931, we’re doing a to the blog post we wrot...
17/07/2026

In honour of the 95th anniversary of William Richard Lethaby’s death in 1931, we’re doing a to the blog post we wrote in 2017 about the Barnstaple born architect who became one of the leading lights in the Arts & Crafts Movement and the legacy he left behind within our Collections!

Head over to our blog to Discover William Richard Lethaby…On Our Shelves!
https://tinyurl.com/232jwd7a

Barnstaple’s May Queen presenting prizes in 1956
01/05/2026

Barnstaple’s May Queen presenting prizes in 1956

We collect and take care of the things that contain the memories and stories of people, places and events big and smal...
30/04/2026

We collect and take care of the things that contain the memories and stories of people, places and events big and small. We preserve them for the future so they won't be forgotten.

Having brought you our and earlier this month for we’re now looking to our which will see us go through the pr...
29/04/2026

Having brought you our and earlier this month for we’re now looking to our which will see us go through the process to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

We’ll still be doing what we do, but we’re bringing the organisation into the modern era.

Address

Barnstaple
EX311EL

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441271342174

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