Barnstaple centre was at nearby . The station building still exists, and can be viewed on-line from a webcam mounted on Barnstaple Civic Centre. A separate "Barnstaple" station, renamed Barnstaple (Victoria Road) in 1949, was opened to the east of the town in 1873 as the terminus of the Devon and Somerset Railway, eventually a part of the Great Western Railway. A junction was later provided to allow trains access to Barnstaple Junction and these ran through to Ilfracombe. It was closed in 1970. There are a selection of well-regarded primary and secondary state schools and a tertiary college in Barnstaple.
Barnstaple Town F.C. back to two divisions in 1976, with Barnstaple placed in the Premier Division. In 1979–80 they won their second Western League title, and finished as runners-up in the following two seasons. After finishing second-from bottom in 1990–91, Barnstaple were relegated to Division One. Three seasons later they won Division One, earning promotion back to the Premier Division. They remained in the Premier Division until being relegated again at the end of the 2012–13 season, which saw them finish bottom of the Premier Division. However, they made an immediate return to the top division after winning Division One in 2014–15. The