History - Ilfracombe

Ilfracombe is an historic Victorian seaside resort, famous for its Tunnels Beaches, deep harbour and has a Museum with curious local and natural history. experienceDevon’s tailor made holiday itineraries take you off the beaten path to experience Ilfracombe’s authentic history and heritage.

Ilfracombe and its area has been inhabited since the Iron Age with the Celts establishing a hill fort on Hillsborough. Up until 1800, Ilfracombe was a small fishing and market town, historically inhabited by fishermen and frequented by smugglers, with shipwrecks being recorded as far back as 1654. Fishing and shipbuilding helped to grow the importance of the port in the 18th and 19th centuries.

During the Victorian era, the town’s tourism grew up around the arrival of the railway and the greater number of visitors it brought and so it became a popular resort. The Victorians built the Tunnels Beaches - handcarved into the cliff in the 1820’s -for bathing in men’s and women’s pools and indulging in water therapies, which were very popular at the time. Ilfracombe developed in response to this health craze. In the mid-19th century paddle steamers also brought tourists from Bristol and South Wales into the historic harbour. The Victorian naturalist Philip Henry Gosse, moved to Ilfracombe in 1852 to recover from bad health. It was here he wrote ‘A Naturalist's Rambles on the Devonshire Coast’, published in 1853, which brought before the public the science of marine biology, and was partly responsible for the sea-shore craze of the mid-Victorian period. In May 1853 he helped establish the first public aquarium in Regent's Park, London, and alter that year constructed one of the first domestic glass aquariums.

The character of Victorian England remains today with Victorian houses and architecture visible and the annual Victorian Festival in June celebrates this connection with history. experienceDevon’s itineraries can help you explore the town, visiting historical buildings and spaces. This could include the fascinating and quirky museum housing natural, local and maritime history; the aquarium; the historic harbour; 19th century hotels; Churches and a Castle.