10 Facts About William Frederick Rock

1. Each Year we Raise a Glass in His Honour, But, We Are Only Allowed to Mention His Name Once! He hated attending events which went on for hours in praise of the guest of honour, with toast after endless toast. As a result he gave strict instructions we are only allowed to mention his …

10 Facts About the North Devon Athenaeum

Over the course of 2018 we are aiming to bring you a total of 130 facts about us and what we do to celebrate our 130th Anniversary. To kick things off, here are 10 facts about the Athenaeum in general. 1. An Athenaeum is a literary club-room, a library or place of learning. The word …

Death of Barnstaple’s Grand Old Man – Thomas Wainwright

100 years ago today the local newspapers published the news of the death of perhaps the most well-known Librarians of the North Devon Athenaeum, Thomas Wainwright. Born in Leeds in 1826, Wainwright moved to Barstaple having spent time in London and Bridport. In trying to write a post about him I came accross this obituary …