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Churches

South Devon has lots of churches, whilst not generally grand they are key to the landscape, and a celebration of the spirit of traditional English culture. There is also a rare surviving active monastery at Buckfast Abbey.

Whether or not we share the same faith as those who built our churches they hold a certain attraction, whether its curiosity, a love of architecture, tracing family history, or the tranquillity that these peaceful havens offer. "....Here we can pause for a while, and feel about us a nostalgic moment something of that older, more peaceful England.....that the younger generation has never known and which becomes harder yearly for us older ones to recall." Bickford H. C. Dickinson

By and large South Devon's churches are open and ready to welcome visitors but if you are interested in seeing a specific church, a useful publication is the Exeter Diocesan Directory. This contains the phone numbers of all the churchwardens and clergy, who will invariably be only too glad to help you view their church.

Churches better than any other building help us 'read' the fortunes of its Parish, a memory map of its communities past. They can tell us about ambitious merchants and Lords of the Manor anxious to secure favour in the ever after, expanding and dwindling populations, prosperity and hard times.

There are over 40 parish churches of medieval origin in South Devon. Parish churches, which traditionally lie east west, started to develop after the Norman Conquest (1066-68) which changed ownership and control of England's land and saw more rural settlement. Most parish churches in South Devon date from the 12th and 13th centuries, but carried on developing until the mid-16th century Reformation. This changed England from a Roman Catholic country to a Protestant one.

Medieval churches are usually sited near the centre of a parish, often on land that would have belonged to the manor. Several parish churches started life as private chapels for the manor house. New churches and parishes were created in the 19th century to serve towns such as Salcombe, established in 1840, and isolated settlements in large parishes such as Strete in 1830.

The peel of church bells is very English and Devon has more church bells than any other county in Britain. The Bells in Modbury and Totnes are said to be exceptional!

Other things to look out for on a church visit are the carved bench ends. Ever wondered where the phrase 'the weak go to the wall' comes from? Until the 14th Century parishioners stood or knelt during a sermon and only the sick or the old sat on stone benches around the walls. As sermons got longer fixed pews started to appear by popular demand!

There are some fine examples of church sculpture, or monuments, such as the slightly odd Seymour family tomb in Berry Pomeroy. This shows Edward Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour 3rd wife of Henry the VIII, his son and wife lying one above the other.

Carved roof bosses and Rood Screens show off the talents of long past carpenters. A pair of binoculars will really help you have a good look at some of the roof bosses!
Very little original medieval stained glass is left in South Devon's churches but the Victorians revived the art with a passion and Dartington church has some fine examples produced by Clayton & Bell, who ran the largest Victorian stained-glass studio.

Churchyards weren't always reserved for the dead. Before they were burial grounds they hosted lots of social occasions such as fairs with travelling merchants, cockfights, fencing, ball games and nine pins. In mediaeval times they were also used for dancing and drunken feasts 'church-ales'!

The names of many craftsmen who poured sweat and tears into South Devon's churches have been lost, but we do know about contributions made by some of the most famous designers and architects. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, designer of the interiors of the Houses of Parliament credited with the single- handed creation of the Gothic Revival, designed the windows for Dittisham church.

Devon played its part in religious non-conformity. Non conformist groups and their buildings don't 'conform' to the ways of the Protestant Church hence the name. In 1662 a code was drawn up which stated that 'dissenting chapels' had to be five miles from a town, these buildings tended to be agricultural, or domestic such as the chapel at Moreleigh near Totnes, which is now a house. Later these groups became established in ports and towns. Kingsbridge had lots of different churches and chapels in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some were Presbyterian, some Quaker, others Baptists and Plymouth Brethren. In contrast to parish churches non-conformist chapels are plain, often with upper galleries so that men and women could attend services separately. Methodism began in 1738 and some villages had as many as two or three Methodist groups. The Old South Brent Methodist Chapel, today a cottage, is opposite its replacement built in 1840. A Free Church of England movement developed and St John's church in Bridgetown Totnes, now Anglican, was independent from 1835 to 1980.

In all this the Roman Catholic church despite persecution in the 16th and 17th century never died out and several congregations still continue.

Here are just some of the churches you can visit in South Devon.