2022 Church Visits
Last Visit
Visit to Honeychurch and Sampford Courtenay, 23rd November, 2022
On a very pleasant November morning six of us gathered in front of St Mary’s, Honeychurch, somewhere that none of us will tire of re-visiting, It really is something special.
Attached are some old images of both the churches visited. It’s very difficult to do justice to either place.
After passing through the really delightful village Sampford Courtenay we had a good look at St Andrew’s church before lunch. The so-called Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 started here, just outside the church.
We finished with a meal in the delightful New Inn.
We’re visiting Halberton & Uffcombe churches in East Devon on Wednesday January 11th, somewhere we haven’t been before, but both look very interesting and can eat at the Globe Inn in Halbeton.
Here are some websites on the churches and the Globe Inn’s current menu:
https://devonchurchland.co.uk/description/uffculme-church-of-st-mary-description/
https://devonchurchland.co.uk/description/halberton-church-of-st-andrew-description/
https://the-globeinn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Globe_Winter-Menu-2022.pdf
Please let me know if you'd like to join us on keithbarker999@yahoo.com or by phoning 773940
Keith
October Visit
Regretfully we have to cancel the visit my group was due to make to Dunster Castle tomorrow.
This is because the wife of one of our 2 car drivers has shingles and he has to administer the prescribed eyedrops during the day.
We would not all fit into the other car, so it is better that we call the trip off now.
It is quite possible that other people intended to go, but hadn't told me, if so they are quite welcome to go independently; however there won't be any meeting-up in the car park of Dunster Castle!
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2022 Visits
Report on Septembers visit
Church & Historic Buildings visiting group visit to Poltimore House, 13th September, 2022
As most of us had eaten an excellent meal in the Red Lion, Broadclyst, fifteen of us
were given an excellent guided tour of Poltimore House by Pater Weedon.
The day was meant to have begun with a look around St John the Baptist’s church, Broaclyst, but because this was open to the public for the signing of a Book of Condolence and because individuals might have been in prayer in the church, the Churchwardens thought a tour of the church by a u3a group to be inappropriate. Nevertheless several of us went into the church as individuals to have a look around.
Poltimore House was originally a Tudor mansion (construction started in 1550) owned by the Bamfylde family, who owned it until 1920.
Wings were additions in the C18th & C19th and except in the original courtyard (by far the most dramatic part of the tour) and in some exposed timbers in a couple of places, it’s difficult to see evidence of the Tudor origins of the house.
Peter said that the Bamfyldes were had delusions of grandeur when it came to the construction of Poltimore. Things were done ‘on the cheap’ where possible (for example, what should have been marble pillars were made from wood & painted to simulate stone).
When the Bamfyldes were forced to leave Potiimore in 1920 (because of heavy estate duties) the house was leased to girl’s school which opened in 1923. This survived until the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, when the school was forced to close.
In 1940 the boys of Dover College were evacuated to Poltimore House and when the war ended in 1945, the house became a private hospital; this was taken over by the NHS in 1948. It closed as a hospital in 1974.
Towards the end of the tour we were shown the site of the hospital’s operating theatre (apparently one of the most advanced in Britain in its time).
I’m afraid no photos were taken during our visit. It was a very disappointing day weather wise, frequent showers and quite cool, but I think the time was enjoyed by everyone.
Report on June visit
Report of visit to Bickleigh Castle, Bickleigh Mill & Bickleigh Church 16th June, 2022
On a glorious summer’s day a group of 18 of us met in the car park of Bickleigh Castle to be greeted by our guide, John. The castle grounds are really lovely (they are used as a wedding venue).
John first gave us an overview of the history of the castle & its occupants. In around 600AD a Saxon meeting house was built (probably in timber) on the site of the present chapel. Two hundred years later this became the parish church. The Redvers family came over with William the Conqueror in 1066 and Sir Richard de Redvers was granted 3,000 acres on which Bickleigh Castle was built, initially in motte & bailey construction. Baldwin de Redvers was made the first Earl of Devon by queen Matilda in about 1141.
Through intermarriage the Courtenay family took over from the Redvers in 1292 and Hugh de Courtenay was made Earl of Devon in 1336 by Edward III.
In the 1400’s the castle was made into a fortified manor house by Lord Thomas Courtenay & his spouse, Lady Margaret Beaufort; Their three sons all died in the Wars of the Roses.
Sir William Carew bt became the castle’s tenant in 1495 and his younger brother, Thomas. Subsequently Sir Phillip Courtenay bequeathed the whole of the Bickleigh estate to the Carew family. It remained in their hands until 1924.
In the Civil War, Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I stayed with Sir Henry & Lady Dorothy Carew en route for Exeter, where she gave birth to Minette, christened in Exeter Cathedral on 31 July, 1644.
In 1646, Fairfax’s New Model Army attacked Bickleigh Castle and the main manor house & the central keep were completely destroyed and from the late C18th until 1927 the Bickleigh estate was tenanted by farmers.
Between 1933 and 1957 the estate was owned by Lt Col Jasper Henson, who carried out some excellent restoration work. In 2002 the castle and a reduced estate was bought by the current owners who have continued with the restoration work and have converted the castle into a wedding venue.
Five of us went on from lunch in Bickleigh Mill to have a look at St Mary’s parish church, which was built across the valley from the castle towards the end of the C13th. There are half-a-dozen Carew family tombs & memorials and a Norman font , was moved there from the castle chapel in the C14th.
Report on visit to Spreyton & Coldridge Churches 28th April 2022
On a pleasant spring day 16 of us gathered at St Michael’s Spreyton, where we were met by a churchwarden. There was an abundance of primroses in the churchyard & quite a few bluebells. Quite a good description of the church with lovely images can be found at https://devonchurchland.co.uk/description/spreyton-church-of-st-michael-description/
The interior of the church was fairly heavily restored in the C19th & early C20th , but a great deal to fascinate the average ‘church-crawler’ remains. Much granite is in evidence, the Norman font is made of it, as is an earlier Saxon font nearby There are some interesting bosses in the chancel, including a green man and a ‘tinner’s rabbits’ or Three Hares (a very early Trinitarian symbol commonly found in the Dartmoor area). There is a message picked out on the roof beams of the chancel written by a retiring vicar in 1451, who obviously also paid for the bosses.
From Spreyton we moved on to Coldridge church, seven miles away, in time for an excellent light lunch, prepared for us in the church hall. By this time the group had grown to 20 in number.
On entering the church we were shown a PowerPoint presentation which both gave an illustrated history of the church and told us the story of part of a stained glass window on the north side of the chancel that depicts Edward V, one of the princes (by tradition) murdered in the Tower of London by Richard III. The theory is that John Evans, whose tomb is a few feet from the glass, on the north side of the chancel, was in fact, Edward, who was living out his life as a Devonshire country gentleman. The stained glass portrait of Edward is one of three in existence. Because of the story Coldridge church has become a popular destination for local people and for national historians, journalists and tourists.
We were then given a tour of the church, concentrating on the chancel and the north-eastern chantry chapel by guide & archivist John Dike. The window showing the prince/king probably originally formed the central light of the chancel window. There is a fragment of glass nearby that shows a shadowy figure whose identity we don’t know – but there have been all sorts of guesses as to who it might be. More about the story can be read on https://devonchurchland.co.uk/description/coldridge-church-of-st-matthew-description/ It has proved a good source of income for the church but also a bit of a headache with the quantity of tourists turning up unexpectedly.
Report of visit to Exeter Cathedral 24 March, 2022
A party of eleven of us did a roof tour of Exeter Cathedral on the morning of 24th March.
Our guide, Jolyon, was really excellent. Although I had done several roof tours a few years ago, there have been significant changes to the route, but it is still fascinating.
The first part was a ground level introduction to the history of the cathedral. This was followed by the ascent of a 200 plus winding staircase eventually reaching the roof void. Making our way to the crossing we negotiated our way to the north tower where we saw the clock mechanism and then made our way to the top of the tower. Whilst there was no sunshine, it was dry and there were good views into the close. It was a little depressing to see the shell of the Royal Clarence Hotel. The view of the roof looking from north to south tower is amazing. The drift (of a full two metres) of the apex of the roof can be quite clearly be seen. We made our way across to the south tower, where we visited the ringing room and were given an account of bell ringing etiquette. Moving eastwards we saw the room where the lead that provides a protective cover to the cathedral was melted & shaped.
The tour finished by descending the winding staircase & re-entering into the ground level of the church. The tour had taken over one and a half hours and was altogether a very rewarding experience
Visit to churches at Bovey Tracey, Trusham & Ashton, February 24th, 2022
In rather inclement weather, eleven members were met by the vicar of St Peter, St Paul & St Thomas of Canterbury, Bovey Tracey, the Revd Graham Hamilton, who gave us an excellent tour around this fascinating church.
After a quick look outside we went into this mainly C15th building via the south-west porch (where there were some lovely carved wooden bosses), There wasn’t much left of the original Norman church after a fire in the C15th, but many furnishings survive, including a beautiful early C15th lectern & pulpit. There are three misericords in the chancel. Particularly interesting was the one showing a fox seizing a goose. The early C15 throod screen is outstanding
The next church, St Michael the Archangel, Trusham is a beautifully kept building dating from Norman times. Everything in the church, from the very modern pews to the excellent church guide shows that the parish is very well endowed
The painted rood screen, restored by Herbert Read in the 1890’s is again early (1431)
The third church, St John the Baptist, Ashton, was possibly the most interesting of the three. Its rood screen is very fine (widely described as the best in Devon). We had never seen anything like grisaille paintings on the altar side, absolutely fascinating!
We had an excellent lunch at the Nobody Inn, Doddiscombsleigh.
31st Jan 2022
Visit to Parracombe, Swimbridge & Tawstock Churches
Just 5 people braved a cold but sunny day and were rewarded by the sight of three very different but fascinating buildings.
The first of these, St Petrock's Parracombe, is right on the edge of exmoor and is run by the Churches Conservation Trust. One of the few churches that victorian restorers did not get their hands on, it is a true delight, with tiled flooring at all manner of levels. The foremost of the nave pews are C17th and boxed. The ones furthest from the altar have sections carved out from them to accommodate the instruments of the church orchestra.
The second church, was ST James, Swimbridge whose C16th Screen is really outstanding,as is the most extraordinary C17th wooden font cover.
We had previously visited the third church St Peters Tawstock back in 2017 but it well repays another look. It has a truly outstanding setting, just below the gothic style rebuild in C19th of Tawstock Court, home of the Earls of Bath.
The church, constructed between the C12th and C15th is absolutely cranned with outstanding memorials to the Bourchier and Wray family, the Earls of Bath (indeed because of this it is known as the Westminster Abbey of Devon)
Among a number of early C16th bench ends near the crossing is one with a representation of the mythical Hinkypunk (a term for the Will-o-the-wisp is South West England).