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Home  >  Blog  >  Hop, skip & jump in Ilfracombe

Hop, skip & jump in Ilfracombe

Trish Burgess Posted on24/05/201625/01/2019 A day in Ilfracombe, Devon, Ilfracombe 16 Comments

“Let’s see if I can jump as far as Jonathan Edwards,” said Dougie, limbering up on the seafront at Ilfracombe.

“I think you’ll struggle,” I cautioned. “His triple jump record stands at 18.29m and you’ve just had your lunch!”

Game as ever, my husband looked carefully at the extremely long mosaic, designed to commemorate Edwards’ phenomenal, unbeaten feat at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. Each mosaic circle indicates the points for each part of the hop, skip and jump and the whole piece of art is a fitting tribute to the man who lived in Ilfracombe from 1976 to 1987.

Needless to say Dougie’s efforts were poor and he was left to blame his unsupportive family, an insufficient run-up and forgetting to remove his rucksack.

Jonathan Edwards long jump record in Ilfracombe

We hadn’t realised Ilfracombe had a famous athlete as a past resident. It was another renowned local, artist Damien Hirst, who had sparked our interest in visiting this lovely North Devon beach resort, just a few miles from our holiday home in Woolacombe.

The town was shrouded in fog as we arrived which meant our first glimpse of Hirst’s startling sculpture, Verity, was all the more eerie. “A modern allegory of truth and justice” according to the artist, this bronze work is of a pregnant woman, standing on a pile of legal books and holding a sword and a set of scales. Her stance is based on the sculpture by Edgar Degas, Little Dancer of Fourteen Years. At 20.25m high she is 10 inches higher than The Angel Of The North and thus the tallest statue in the UK.

Verity, Ilfracombe
Verity by Damien Hirst

It’s a bit of a Marmite sculpture: some people love its strength and the message it conveys, others find the anatomical cross section of its head and torso, revealing the skull and developing foetus, as inappropriate for a traditional English seaside resort.

Either way, it has certainly been good for tourism as you can’t come to the area and not see for yourself.  Did I like it? I can’t say it’s a favourite piece of art but it is undoubtedly impressive: I found myself examining her from different angles and constantly turning back to look at her as we walked away.

My heart was affected more by a much smaller sculpture, on the top of Capstone Hill. It’s a memorial to a 14 year old Russian student, Ekaterine (Kate) Frolov, who fell to her death from nearby cliffs in 2000 after becoming lost in the fog. This poignant statue, commissioned by her family, gradually appeared to us, ironically as the fog lifted from the town, as we walked up the hill.

kate memorial, Ilfracombe
A memorial to Kate, a young girl who fell to her death in 2000.

The views from the top weren’t as good as we’d hoped. You should be able to see Wales across the Bristol Channel but it wasn’t quite clear enough. Turning round, we had to be content with a view of the town, Jonathan Edwards’ jump becoming even more impressive when the mosaic is seen from afar. Very prominent are the two brick cones belonging to the Landmark Theatre. Locally referred to as Madonna’s Bra, they are unquestionably visible and, like Verity at the other end of the harbour, indicative of Ilfracombe having the confidence to experiment with art and architecture.

View of Ilfracombe
View of Ilfracombe from Capstone Hill. Can you see the triple jump mosaic in the centre of the photo?

Ilfracombe has much to offer visitors but we only really skimmed the surface in the few hours we were there. If we had been dressed for the beach, I’m sure we would have investigated the famous Tunnels Beaches, Victorian hand-carved tunnels which lead to tidal bathing pools: a must for summer visitors. We ran out of time to see the haunted Chambercombe Manor and didn’t visit the aquarium either…or The Roundhouse…or any of the beaches.

We did, however, walk up Lantern Hill to see the little St Nicholas Chapel which dates back to 1321. It was built as a place of worship for people living and working around Ilfracombe harbour until 1540: when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, it ceased to be a chapel.  From the middle ages it maintained a light to guide shipping which it still does today; it is said to be the oldest working lighthouse in the country.

Ilfracombe town from Capstone Hill
St Nicholas Chapel on the very top of Lantern Hill in the centre of the photo

Before we left we returned to the seafront and made a bee-line for the clapping circle where, if you stand exactly at its centre, you hear a ‘ping’ echo back when you clap your hands. Dougie was particularly keen to try this as, I’m sure, were a number of curious onlookers, seated on nearby benches, who had witnessed his earlier athletic prowess and wondered what else he could do to entertain them.

A round of applause could be heard but it was entirely self-congratulatory…

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16 Comments

  1. Sarah Reply
    25/05/2016 at 6:41 am

    Ah, this is the Capstone post! 🙂

    What a lovely place Ilfracombe is, and this is a very entertaining post which definitely does it justice. Where did you have lunch though?? 🙂

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      25/05/2016 at 6:50 pm

      Yes this is my Capstone!
      We had lunch at The Deli on the High Street- delicious panini and big mugs of coffee. Ice creams later on from the many ice cream shops at the harbour.

  2. Emma Raphael Reply
    25/05/2016 at 10:59 am

    I have never been, but now I would like to visit. I thought I recognised the stance of the pregnant statue, my 11 year old used to head straight for the Little Dancer statue in the Glyptotek in Copenhagen! The last statue would have to be my favourite though. What a sad story. :/

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      25/05/2016 at 6:55 pm

      Oh I didn’t realise the Little Dancer was in Copenhagen – another reason to return to the city.
      Ilfracombe was such a lovely place – a seaside resort with lots of non-beach things to do.

  3. Mandy Southgate Reply
    27/05/2016 at 7:14 pm

    I like both of those statues a lot! I especially like the haunting way the statue of Ekaterina revealed itself to you. I’m really enjoying your blog – I love exploring England and see we have that in common.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      30/05/2016 at 6:46 pm

      Yes, I think we do have something in common – there is definitely a connection when I read your blog too.

  4. K.D. Jennings Reply
    13/06/2016 at 8:56 pm

    I find both statues stunning.
    As for your husband jumping, I am sure it was definitely the rucksack! xx

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      14/06/2016 at 5:02 pm

      You’re probably right. Jonathan Edwards didn’t jump with one of those on his back!

  5. Nell (the Pigeon Pair and Me) Reply
    20/06/2016 at 11:08 am

    Wow, Verity certainly is eye-catching. I’d love to see her – although I don’t think I’d find her particularly beautiful, it would be a great way to start a conversation with the kids about bodies. What a sad story about Ekaterine, though.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/06/2016 at 10:22 am

      It’s definitely a conversation starter! And it’s huge – so striking as you head towards the harbour.

  6. Clare (Suitcases and Sandcastles) Reply
    20/06/2016 at 3:13 pm

    Love the idea of the Clapping Circle – I’d have to try that! I like both of the sculptures you’ve featured. Nell’s right – they’d make good starting points for conversations with kids about art and the female form. I’ve finally spotted Jonathan Edwards’ mosaic on your photo – that’s extraordinary! #MondayEscapes

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/06/2016 at 10:25 am

      I remember there being such a fuss when the statue was unveiled – I’m sure some residents combusted with indignation But it brings in the tourists and is a remarkable feature of the town.
      As for the mosaic – how on earth did he jump that far?

  7. Gina Caro @Gypsy Soul Reply
    22/06/2016 at 2:22 pm

    We live in South Devon and I’ve only ever been to Ilfracombe once and that was passing through.
    That memorial to the Russian student is very sad 🙁 #MondayEscapes

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/06/2016 at 10:19 am

      Isn’t it funny how we don’t visit the places we live near – that happens to me all the time.
      It was a beautiful memorial – so wistful and light, it represents her youth so well.

  8. Ting at My Travel Monkey Reply
    29/06/2016 at 11:35 am

    I didn’t realise the Verity statue was in Ilfracombe! I’ve wanted to go to The Tunnels for a while now, it used to be a childhood haunt of my husband’s so it’s on the list. We just need to get to Devon full stop! Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes

  9. Simon Baker Reply
    05/06/2017 at 8:06 pm

    I was moved by the statue of Ekaterine, and I’m glad to have found her story here – we were speculating

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