Lynton and Lynmouth churches
Church of England: Diocese of Exeter
Parish church of St Mary
St Mary's church, Lynton
The parish church stands on a ridge overlooking the old part of Lynton on one side and the sea on the other. There are seats in the churchyard with fine views to the Foreland and Countisbury. The church dates from the 13th century although the only part remaining from this time is the tower.The nave was rebuilt in 1741 and again in 1893. The church was enlarged several times to accommodate the growing population of residents and visitors in the 19th century. The last big rebuilding was completed in 1904. The church contains a Norman font and a 15th century holy water stop that came from a former chapel of ease at South Furzehill. There is a monument with a painting of a ship in a storm and an elaborate monument to the Wichehalse family of Ley, now Lee Abbey.
Vicar: The Rev Pam Jarvis, Team Vicar in the North Devon Coast Team with special responsibility for Lynton, Brendon, Countisbury, Parracombe, Martinhoe and Trentishoe
The Rectory, Lee Road, Lynton, EX35 6BP Tel 01598 753251 pajarvis@ntlworld.com
Church of St John the Baptist, Lynmouth
The first Anglican church to be erected in Lynmouth was a wooden church known as 'The Ark'. This was built for the Rev W O'Neill, who was convalescing at Lynmouth and found nowhere convenient to worship. When he returned home, the church was run for a while by laymen but closed when the Plymouth Brethren chapel was built nearby in 1857. The present, more substantial church dates form 1870. It has a nave, chancel, north porch and bell turret. A south ailse was added in 1920 and a vestry was built with funds from the US Air Force after the flood odf 1952. The church contains a memorial to 27 people who lost their lives in the flood at Lynmouth.
Church of St Bartholemew, Barbrook
Lynton and Lynmouth is a large parish and this was built as a chapel of ease for people travelling from outlying areas to the south of the villages. It was erected in 1875, mainly through the efforts of the Rev WL Lawson, who was curate of Lynton between 1866 and 1886. It is a simple but well constructed building with a nave, chancel, north aisle of three bays and a wooden bellcote at the west end.
Catholic Church: Diocese of Plymouth/Exeter and North East Devon Deanery
Parish church of the Most Holy Saviour/ Redeemer, Lee Road
This is one of only three Catholic churches in the Exmoor area. It was built through the efforts of Mgr H.V. Lean, a convert Anglican clergyman who wanted to establish a convent and church in his birthplace of Lynton. Bishop Charles Graham had given permission for an exiled group of Poor Clares to make a foundation in the Diocese and in 1904 he put Mgr. Lean in touch with a group from Rennes (France), who were staying with Franciscan Sisters in Gloucestershire. Mgr. Lean settled the nuns in a house in Lynmouth while he built a convent and chapel for them in Lynton, construction work being completed in 1910. The Church was later extended and consecrated as a Parish Church in 1931.
The building was designed by architect Leonard Stokes and and built by the local firm of Bob Jones in a "free" or "Italian" Byzantine style. There is an eighteenth century marble altar from the disused Church of SS. Simon & Jude in Rome, also a 17th or 18th century Italian statue of the Virgin Mary. The church contains fragments of the Rock of Calvary and of the Holy Sepulchre. Beneath the High Altar there is an urn containing the remains of martyrs. At the consecration ceremony Bishop Barrett inserted in the sepulchre the relics of SS. Vicentius and Felicitas, and John Southworth.
Services: Sundays: Mass 11am; Holydays: Mass 11am; Confessions: Sat 4pm or by appointment
Clergy: Rev. Terence O'Donavan, 45 Lee Road, Lynton EX35 6BS (01598) 753255
United Reformed Church
Lynton, Lee Road
An Independent Meeting was started at Lynton in 1835. Through the efforts of a Mr Jope a small Congregational chapel was opened in 1850. The present church was erected in 1904 at a cost of £1,500. The money largely came from Sir George Newnes, the publisher, who was a great benefactor of developments in Lynton and Lynmouth and son of a Congregational minister.
Methodist Church
There are no longer any active Methodist churches in the Lynton area. Services are shared with the United Reformed Church.
Former Methodist chapel, Lee Road
Lynton was later to develop Methodism than many other parts of Exmoor. Its remoteness prevented regular Methodist preachers coming there until 1830. A small class then developed but expansion was held up when the Congregational chapel was opened. A Methodist chapel was later built at Barbrook and John Gliddon, who was instrumental in its establishment, then set about encouraging Methodism in Lynton. A chapel was erected in 1880 and replaced by a more substantial building in 1910. It became redundant in the 1990s and is now used as an arts centre.
Former Methodist chapel, Barbrook
Methodism was once strong amongst the farming community in this area and popular open air meetings were started in 1869 by G Doubt of Lynton and John Gliddon of Williton. Later, services were held in the cottage of J Kingdom and, after that, in an old malt house. Locals, headed by W Jones of Caffyns Farm, then contributed to the building of a chapel in 1870. This had a schoolroom and school master's house. John Gliddon laid the foundation stone. The schoolroom was later adapted as a Methodist youth hostel. The chapel continued to be used until the 1990s but now all has become a private dwelling.
Plymouth Bretheren
Lynmouth Gospel Hall
Through the efforts of William Maunsell, William Collard and Thomas Green, a chapel was built to the rear of the lodge of Glen Lyn house in 1857. It was constructed of local stone, with a gallery and seating for 90 persons. Unfortunately it was destroyed in the flood of 1952. A new chapel was built on higher ground in 1957 with many donations, including money from the flood relief fund.