Butchers return to Barnstaple's Butchers Row 'symbolic'

Ray Auvray (middle) said he remembered what Butchers Row used to be like

A row of shops where for a century only butchers traded has welcomed a new butchers for the first time in decades.

Created in the middle of the 19th Century, Butchers Row in Barnstaple, Devon, was renowned for the quality of its meat trade.

But when supermarkets changed the way we shop, trade dwindled - leaving no butchers on the much-photographed street.

The man behind the new shop said he was "excited" to be based there.

"It's great because I'm old enough to remember Butchers Row when it was a vibrant place," Ray Auvray said.

"For a number of years there hasn't been a butchers on Butchers Row, so opening the shop is symbolic for the High Street."

The whole of Butchers Row is Grade II listed and Historic England said it welcomed the news.

Butchers Row was once renowned for only having butchers shops

The new shop at 9 Butchers Row was due to open two and a half months ago, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It finally opened on Tuesday.

Mr Auvray said he hoped the local produce on offer at Top Meadow Butchers would help it succeed where other butchers shops have not.

"For several reasons I think we ought to go back to how things were originally - providing local produce to the local community," he said.

Today Butchers Row consists of food shops, cafes and restaurants

The farm shop is selling produce from the family farm, known as Top Meadow Farm, and from other local farmers.

Mr Auvray feels the pandemic has made people more cautious about their food and eager to know where it is coming from.

"People are being environmentally conscious and wanting to shop local - our customers can know where their meat comes from."

The shop has been adapted to meet social distancing requirements such as only allowing one customer in at a time.