In Frithelstock, traces of a priory sit alongside a church with parts dating from several centuries. Walking routes along streams and rivers are also part of the village’s character. This gives you a practical choice when planning your trip: would you like to focus mainly on the building’s history, or turn your attention more towards the landscape?

The Frithelstock Priory site

The rural setting has helped preserve the Frithelstock Priory site. Its essential layout can still be identified from the surviving buildings and earthworks. This makes not only individual structural features interesting: the layout of the site as a whole is also still discernible. The surviving buildings and earthworks offer different clues to its form.

Another trace is the remains of the cloister ranges, incorporated into the buildings of Cloister Hall Farm. They show that parts of the priory have been integrated into existing buildings. The priory site can therefore be viewed both through its identifiable overall layout and through individual structural remains. Anyone interested in historic architectural forms will find two different scales here: the layout of the site and the specific traces of its cloister ranges.

A church with building phases from the 13th century to around 1500

The Church of St Mary and St Gregory brings together parts from several periods. The north wall dates from the 13th century. The chancel was rebuilt in the early 14th century, as was the south aisle. The west tower was rebuilt in the 15th century, and a south-east chapel was added around 1500.

This sequence makes the church an example of how a building’s history can be read in its different parts. The wall, chancel, aisle, tower and chapel do not all belong to the same building phase. Visitors interested in architecture can therefore distinguish the details by their period, rather than reducing the church to a single date of construction.

Other historic building details

At the west end of the church is an L-shaped wall dating from the 17th century. It measures about 3 × 5 metres and was listed for its group value. Its shape, approximate dimensions and location make it a distinct architectural feature alongside the older and later parts of the church.

Cloister Hall Farm also has historic farm buildings: the barn and cart shed range lies about 20 metres north-west of Cloister Hall Farmhouse. It dates from the 18th century and was altered around 1860. Together with the remains of the cloister ranges, it offers a different perspective on the built heritage from the church architecture. Here, the focus is on the history of a farm building and its later alteration.

Walking routes and orientation

Frithelstock’s streams and rivers offer scenic walking routes. The River Torridge forms the eastern boundary of the parish and provides a geographic reference for Frithelstock’s location. The route information for Tarka With a Priestly Connection also describes a specific turn: shortly after the farm buildings beyond the Frithelstock village sign, the route leaves the road and follows a footpath. Check local conditions before setting out.

If you’re looking for a hotel for a stay in Frithelstock, the different points of interest can help guide your choice. The priory remains and the church’s building phases put the focus on architecture and history; the walking routes offer a scenic alternative.

Discover more destinations: Croyde, Culmstock, Kenton, Outer Hope, Hartland, Totnes, Halberton, Hawkchurch.

For the wider travel overview: Devon.