Barnstaple Castle supporter of King Stephen. In 1228, Henry III ordered the Sheriff of Devon to reduce the castle walls to a height of , as recorded in the Close Rolls for that year. By the time of the death of the last Henry de Tracey in 1274, the castle was beginning to decay. The fabric of the castle was used in the construction of other buildings and by 1326 the castle was a ruin. The remaining walls blew down in a storm in 1601. Now only the tree covered motte remains. Barnstaple Castle Barnstaple Castle stood near what is now the
Barnstaple Long Bridge looked between 1796 and 1832. Traffic congestion was considerable on the bridge until, in May 2007, the Barnstaple Western Bypass was opened so traffic heading towards Braunton and Ilfracombe avoids travelling through the town centre over the ancient bridge. The bypass consists of of new road and a , five-span bridge. It was expected to have cost £42 million. In 2016 plans were announced to upgrade the bridge including widening of footpaths and the creation of cycle lanes. Long Bridge has 16 pointed masonry arches, varying in span from to giving a total length of . Barnstaple Long Bridge Barnstaple