The story of the Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore railway is not the traditional tale of the construction of a new railway.
It has many of the usual ingredients - difficulties in raising capital and buying land, protracted negotiations regarding Parliamentary approval, and contractor troubles.
However, a small group of local entrepreneurs had the drive and determination to create not just a railway, but a railway to serve a new town and a harbour that they also planned to build.
In spite of considerable local support there was bitter opposition from the Council which dogged the line throughout its short life, and the railway remained completely isolated from the rest of the system, although that was far from the original idea.
Had all the various parts of the overall scheme been brought to fruition, the history of the area might have been very different and railway travel from London to Westward Ho!, Appledore and beyond would have been possible.
It is a story that has been told before, but as a local author, Rod Gardner has been able to discover previously unpublished photographs and new information that adds to (and in some cases clarifies) that which has been published before.