North Devon

An extraordinary church, holding layers of historical beauty and set deep in the fields of glorious Devon, a total jewel.

Swimbridge church is all about the woodwork, like so many of the gorgeous creatures in Devon, but this one has the dialled turned up to 11.

Conquistador gold from El Dorado, pirated jewels from Spanish galleons, treasure chests trawled from the deep… how Mortehoe puts them all to shame!

Inside there is an attractive sparseness along with a bit of mish mash of styles, from Norman to Victorian and various stops in between.

Inside it is an ocean of deeply browned box pews lapping against gentle cliffs of crooked walls, whispering hello from the 18th century.

The inside has been well partied up by renovators, that screen is early twentieth century, the whole is now a pleasing combination

And this church is old too, its shape has been almost unaltered since the 13th century, though the north transept might be 14th

It is a well-proportioned Victorian church set on a hillside with beautiful views, loved by the parish and everybody else.

The nave is lovely bare stone with soft honey pews covered by a billowing cloud of a ceiling. A wonderful peace to wander into.

The structure of the church is a delight. The foliage carved capitals, the space, the chipped stonework, all these are worthy of our time…

Inside is delightfully sparse, we can see the bare bones of the church, like the rock strata in the local cliffs, and looking closely the details start to come together until we gasp in love.

A glorious church with a Norman south tower and a striking spire, fascinating medieval benchends and roofbosses, and a very impressive interior.