Discover Parracombe: Landscape and History

Parracombe brings together open pastureland in the River Heddon valley and a local history made tangible by a river crossing and a distinctive settlement pattern. Its churches also tell the story of different building phases. The landscape, settlement form and architecture offer several ways to get to know the village.

Location in the Heddon Valley

The Exmoor National Park landscape assessment adopted in 2019 describes Parracombe as open pastureland in the River Heddon valley. The village lies near the upper end of the Heddon Valley, 100 m below the open common land surrounding it. The pastureland in the valley and the open land above the village thus form two distinct spatial levels. The main village developed at a crossing point on the River Heddon, so the river is also part of the history of the settlement’s development.

Settlement form and local history

The historic settlement pattern in the Parracombe Conservation Area developed into four geographically separate hamlets. The conservation area covers 27 ha and is the largest area designated as a Conservation Area in Exmoor National Park. Understanding the village’s layout therefore involves more than just the main village: the spatially separate hamlets are also part of this historic pattern. Churchtown in Parracombe contains the parish’s most interesting and oldest historic buildings.

Church building across several periods

Several building phases can be distinguished at St Petrock's Church. The tower is the oldest part of the present church and dates from the late 12th century; most of the building was constructed in the 15th century. Almost all of the interior furnishings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The tower, main body and furnishings therefore belong to different periods—the building history can be understood as a succession of phases, rather than the work of a single century.

Christ Church offers another point of reference in time: W. Oliver built it in 1878 at a new location. Compared with the medieval building phases of St Petrock's Church, it represents a much later chapter in church-building history. Its new location is explicitly part of its story.

Holwell Castle and its history

Holwell Castle is an early, probably short-lived motte-and-bailey castle. Possible construction dates are either the Norman Conquest or the 12th-century civil war. The castle mound is up to 6.2 m high and about 40 m in diameter. Its location suggests that the castle was built to control Parracombe and its river crossing. Here, the mound’s specific measurements are combined with a cautiously worded interpretation of its original function.

Walking trail and heritage railway

The Exmoor Loop at Parracombe is a 9.5 km circular walking trail through heathland. It starts and ends at the Fox and Goose Inn in Parracombe. Another way to get around is offered by a section of the former Lynton and Barnstaple Railway that is currently in operation: one mile of the former railway line runs as a heritage railway between Woody Bay and Killington Lane. Woody Bay Station is in Martinhoe Cross, Parracombe. The circular trail and the heritage railway differ both in length and in the kind of outing they offer. If you are planning a trip on the heritage railway, check the timetable in advance.

Discover more destinations: Wotter, Braunton, South Brent, Culmstock, Plymtree, Dawlish, South Pool, Sampford Peverell

For the main travel overview: Devon.