St Andrews Church Colyton

St Andrew's Church, Colyton, Devon

Colyton's Beautiful Parish Church, Devon

St Andrews Church in Devon. — The Grade I Listed St Andrew's Church, Colyton, Devon

St Andrew's Church in Colyton, east Devon is a Grade I listed church. It dates back originally to Norman times.

25 miles west of Exeter on the A30, Colyton village (population around 2,000) is also within easy reach of Branscombe Beach, Beer, Honiton, Seaton and Lyme Regis.

The entrance to the historic church in east Devon. — The entrance to the historic parish church in east Devon

History

The pretty village of Colyton dates from the Saxon period and was an important agricultural center. The village had a corn mill, iron foundry and saw mill. The oak bark tannery is still in use today and may date back to Roman times. It has been run by the Baker family for over 160 years and is the sole oak bark tannery in Britain.

A stone Norman church replaced the village's wooden Saxon church in the 11th or 12th century.

The impressive lantern tower was added in the 14th century or later and can be seen from nearly everywhere in Colyton. It contains eight bells which are rung on Sundays. On top of the tower is a 20 kg copper weathercock. The inspiration for the tower is believed to be the tower of Bruges Town Hall, familiar to the wool merchants of Colyton.

The stained glass in the huge west window dates from 1908. — The stained glass in the huge west window dates from 1908

The church sustained damage in a fire in 1933 and during restoration work a Saxon cross made from Beer stone was found in the tower. It is now on display in the South Transept.

Other treasures include The Courtenay monument in the chancel. The monument depicts Margaret Beaufort, granddaughter of John of Gaunt. She married Thomas Courtenay (Thomas de Courtenay), the 5th Earl of Devon. Early legends had it representing Margaret - the daughter of William Courtenay and Catherine (the daughter of Edward IV).

In addition, the church has a couple of historic stone screens and several tombs of the local Pole family from Shute, just north of Colyton.

A short walk from the church is Colyton Cemetery with views of the surrounding countryside.

The church altar and stained glass. — The church altar, chancel and stained glass with The Courtenay monument on the left

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Stained glass window in the church. — Stained glass window in the church

Access - Getting There

Market Place
Colyton EX24 6JS

The nearest railway stations are Honiton (8 miles away) and Axminster (6 miles) which have trains from Exeter St David's Station and Waterloo Station in London.

The 885 runs between Beer and Axminster via Seaton and Colyton.

The Seaton Tramway connects Seaton, Colyford and Colyton.

The nearest airport is Exeter International Airport, just 5 miles to the east of Exeter city near Clyst Honiton off the A30.

The airport has regular domestic flights to Aberdeen, Alicante, Belfast, Edinburgh, Guernsey/Jersey, the Isles of Scilly, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.

International destinations include Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Dublin, Faro, Funchal, Geneva, Hannover, Larnaca, Nice, Palma, Paris, Malaga and Salzburg.

The interior of the church showing the pews and one of a pair of brass candelabra holding 36 candles. — The interior of the church showing the pews and one of a pair of brass candelabra holding 36 candles

Accommodation

Exeter, the nearest large city, offers a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes. Choose from a range of hotels and guest houses in Exeter including the four-star Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel, the four-star Southernhay House Hotel, and Jurys Inn Exeter, also a four-star hotel.

See here for a complete list of accommodation in Exeter.

Lyme Regis also has numerous hotels, B&B's and guest houses available for the tens of thousands who arrive each year. Noted places to stay include the boutique Hotel 1 Lyme, Dorset House on Pound Road, the nearby Mariners Hotel on Silver Street, Westwood Guest House on Woodmead Road, the Fernhill Hotel in Charmouth and a little north of Lyme, The Trinity.

See here for a full listing of hotels, self-catering apartments and guest houses in the Lyme area.

If you wish to stay in or around Colyton itself try the Bear Bread Bakery - a B&B - The White Cottage, with pleasant garden or the Dolphin Hotel - in nearby Beer.