Plan to change historic port’s welcome signs featuring nickname ‘Little White Town’ are scrapped

Plan to change historic port’s welcome signs featuring its nickname ‘Little White Town’ over fears it is racist are to be scrapped

  • Bideford, Devon, was dubbed ‘Little White Town’ in Charles Kingsley’s 1855 novel
  • A row erupted last month after councillor Dermot McGeough proposed a change
  • He proposed removal of signs claiming they had ‘white supremacist’ undertones

Controversial plans to change a historic port’s welcome signs because of fears they were racist are set to be scrapped.

Bideford in Devon was dubbed ‘Little White Town’ in author Charles Kingsley’s 1855 novel Westward Ho! – due to the colour of its houses and streets.

But a huge row erupted last month after councillor Dermot McGeough tabled a proposal to get rid of the tag – claiming that it had ‘white supremacist’ undertones.

His plan was even derided by Piers Morgan during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

Bideford, known as the ‘Little White Town’, in north Devon agreed to change its welcome signs following complaints that it was racist – but has since backtracked

But the controversy has led the councillor to retract his original motion – which just has to be ratified by full council.

Town mayor Peter Christie revealed that the proposed U-turn in his local newspaper column, writing: ‘The embarrassing saga of the proposed changes to the ‘Little White Town’ signs seems to be over.’ 

As part of the motion councillor McGeough said: ‘The wording ‘Little White Town’ can be perceived as causing a racist slur and not politically correct.

‘Therefore this issue should be rectified immediately.

‘If this wording is not removed, the town council could be classed as a racist white supremacist.’

For more than 150 years Bideford has been known by the tagline due to the large number of white buildings that were recorded in a famous 1855 book about the area

For more than 150 years Bideford has been known by the tagline due to the large number of white buildings that were recorded in a famous 1855 book about the area

Initially, and after much heated debate, councillors agreed to alter the slogan to read ‘Charles Kingsley’s Little White Town’, which members felt would put the quote into context.

Local councillor Dermot McGeough tabled a motion calling for the change at a recent council meeting

Local councillor Dermot McGeough tabled a motion calling for the change at a recent council meeting

But this change will no longer take place after Mr McGeough retracted his original motion.

Many locals were outraged by the story, which soon went viral.

In the wake of the publicity, thousands signed an online petition to keep the ‘Little White Town’ tagline in place on all the signs.

Mr McGeough revealed he had received a lot of abuse about the matter.

He said: ‘The reaction I’ve had personally has just been full of abuse – basically calling me a white supremacist.

‘These are not my views – I was mortified, absolutely mortified because I’ve never ever looked at Bideford as a little white town to be racist.

‘My view is that we are not racist but when you’ve got a faction of people that comes to you asking to raise concerns, you’ve got to do so.’

Mr McGeough came to blows with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain who dubbed the row ‘utter lunacy’ and said the councillor had ‘wasted two months of people’s lives’.

The town has been split on the issue with one survey revealing 69 per cent were in favour of keeping it while 31 per cent thought it should change

The town has been split on the issue with one survey revealing 69 per cent were in favour of keeping it while 31 per cent thought it should change

It’s not the first time attempts have been made to change the ‘Little White Town’ tag.

Back in 2008 the town council discussed changing local signs to reflect the town’s Elizabethan maritime history.

The issue caused protests at the meeting but councillors eventually voted to keep the Little White Town name on road signs on the approaches to the town.

Back in 2008 the town council discussed changing local signs to reflect the town's Elizabethan maritime history

Back in 2008 the town council discussed changing local signs to reflect the town’s Elizabethan maritime history

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