Yelland

For other uses, see Yelland (disambiguation).

Yelland is a small village in North Devon between Instow and Fremington in the English county of Devon. Yelland is included within the parish of Fremington.

Character

There are around 2000 people living in Yelland, which mainly consist of the older generation, although many younger people live there and commute into the local towns of Barnstaple and Bideford.

Amenities

Yelland has one general store - Riviera Stores - which is accompanied by a Post Office. There is also a garage, and a small industrial park. Residents use the nearest major village Fremington, or the slightly smaller village of Instow for their daily needs. Supermarkets are located in the nearest towns - Barnstaple and Bideford. There is no church situated in the village.

Regular bus services are operated by First South West and Stagecoach Devon. The nearest railway station is Barnstaple railway station, and Exeter International Airport is the nearest passenger international airport by road. The nearest international ferry port is at Plymouth.

Children in the area generally attend Fremington or Instow Primary Schools at primary school age, and Bideford College, Pilton Community College or The Park Community School at secondary school age. College students attend Bideford College's sixth form, Petroc (formerly North Devon College), or may travel further afield.

Archaeology

Main article: Yelland Stone Rows

Near Lower Yelland Farm is a Bronze Age megalithic site consisting of a double stone row. They are unusual in being sited at the river's edge rather than on higher moorland. Since its construction, thousands of years ago, the site has been smothered by silt from the widening of the River Taw. The stones are no longer visible.

Walking trails

Visitors to Yelland and the surrounding area enjoy the views and scenic paths for walking. The Tarka Trail and South West Coast Path are easily accessible from the Yelland Power Station Road.

East Yelland Coal-fired Power Station

The East Yelland Power Station was once an operational coal-fired electricity production plant located in a partially hidden area on the estuary, next to the tarka trail. The power station was one of only two located to the west of Hinkley Point.

The power station was opened on 21 April 1955 [1] by Lord Fortescue. In March 1984, it was announced by the Central Electricity Generating Board that the power station would close by the end of October that year. [2]

Fuel for the power station was obtained from coal mines in South Wales, and was transported across the Bristol Channel onto a jetty specially constructed for the power station. However, due to the closure of the coal mines in the 1980s, coal would be more expensive to obtain from other areas of the country. Therefore, it was more economical to close the power station.

Today, most of the power station, which covered an area of 3.1ha, has been demolished.

External links

• Information about the Megalithic site including photos and an aerial photo showing its location
• [3]