Barnstaple

In the middle of an episode of ‘Unforgotten’ this sign flashed onto the TV screen. I suppose it was an establishing shot, telling us where this bit of the dramatic action was taking place.
 
Barnstaple is the largest town in north Devon. As the sign says, it is an ancient borough, indeed it claims to be the oldest borough in England. A river port on the River Taw, it became wealthy in the 1400s through wool exports.
 
For me though Barnstaple is significant because I went to school there. It was quite a long journey each day, on two buses, to get from our Exmoor village to the Grammar School. I haven’t been back for many years and it was a surprise to see the name on the television screen. 

We are waiting to see if anything actually happens in Barnstaple in future episodes.