Historic Churches in Devon

A late medieval church in Perpendicular Gothic style on a hilltop setting. St Matthew's boasts a pair of beautifully carved 15th-century screens and the 1511 altar tomb of Sir John Evans, as well as a number of 16th and 17th-century carved bench ends.
Coldridge, Devon, England, EX17 6AX

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Heritage Highlight: 15th-century rood and parclose screens

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This lovely 13th-century church is a treasure house of historic features. There is a 10th-century Saxon cross in the south transept, the 'Courtenay Tomb' now thought to be a memorial to Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and the Pole Chapel, full of ornate 17th and 18th-century tombs.
Market Place, Colyton, Devon, England, EX24 6JS

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Heritage Highlight: 10th-century Saxon cross

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Arguably the finest town church in Devon, Holy Cross stands on the site of a Saxon minster and dates mainly to the 15th century with the exception of a Norman central tower. The interior features a fine 14th-century tomb to Sir John Sully (d. 1387) and ornate memorials to Sir Willliam Peryam (1604) and John Tuckfield (1630).
Church Lane, Crediton, Devon, England, EX17 2AH

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A medieval church rebuilt after a fire in 1689, featuring untouched 18th-century interiors, including a superb wooden screen, and labelled box pews for local families. Look for the Cruwys family pew and the village stocks outside the porch.
Cruwys Morchard, Devon, England, EX16 8LD

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Heritage Highlight: 1700 carved screen

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St Petrox Church stands at the mouth of the River Dart and is part of a complex of buildings that form the Dartmouth Castle site. There may have been a minster church here as early as the 9th century, but the present building dates to the 13th century though it boasts an earlier Norman font.
Dartmouth Castle, Castle Road, Dartmouth, Devon, England

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Heritage Highlight: Possibly founded by St Petrox himself

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St Saviour's Church is one of the finest in England and boasts a wealth of historical treasures. Look for the memorial brasses to the notorious privateer John Hawley (d 1408) and his two wives, as well as the 14th-century south door with its outstanding medieval ironwork decoration.
Anzac Street, Dartmouth, Devon, England, TQ6 9DL

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Heritage Highlight: The superb Hawley Brasses, c. 1408

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St Mary's Church was built around 1420 in a picturesque village setting surrounded by thatched cottages. The church boasts memorial to generations of the Fulford family and fragments of medieval glass. Look for a broken medieval cross in the churchyard.
Dunsford, Dartmoor, Devon, England, EX6 7DA

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Heritage Highlight: Fulford family tombs

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The church here was begun in the 11th century, but most of what remains is the result of rebuilding between 1275-1375. The Lady chapel and retrochoir were added at this time, to be followed by the presbytery and the choir. The nave was built in the mid 14th century, under the direction of Richard Farleigh, who also designed the spire of Salisbury Cathedral. Exeter boasts the longest stretch of uninterrupted vaulting in England, stretching for 300 feet. The carving detail throughout the cathedral is stunning, but the highlight is the Minstrel's gallery, replete with angels carrying musical instruments.
Exeter, Devon, England, EX1 1HS

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Heritage Highlight: Carvings in the minstrel's gallery

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An unexpected medieval and 18th-century treasure in a corner of Exeter's Cathedral Close, St Martin's dates to the 11th century. The first church here was dedicated in 1065, the year before the Norman Conquest, by Bishop Leofric, who also founded the nearby cathedral. Signs of the original Saxon stonework can still be seen in places.
Cathedral Close, Exeter, Devon, England, EX1 1EZ

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St Olave's was founded as a private chapel by Gytha, mother of King Harold. Most of the present building is 14th century, save the tower, which may be at least part Saxon. Highlights include a caved medieval panel and 17th-century grave slabs of Huguenot refugees.
Fore Street, Exeter, Devon, England, EX1 1EZ

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Heritage Highlight: Possible Saxon tower

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