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.
Guildhall, Barnstaple Row. The Pannier Market became a great success and in 1897 local historian W.F. Gardiner wrote: "The result is that Barnstaple can to-day boast of the possession of Markets such as many a county town might well envy. Indeed, Barum's Pannier Market is one of the finest in the Kingdom". Before the days of supermarkets the Pannier Market was the best place to obtain daily goods, many supplied by local farmers. Today the Pannier Market sells a wide range of goods on an almost daily basis, with occasional special days such as wedding fairs. Market days are Monday – Crafts