Landscape and settlement pattern
Parracombe lies in open pastureland in the River Heddon valley, near the upper end of the valley. The open common land surrounding the village is 100 m higher. The valley and uplands mark two distinct levels in the landscape; the river is also part of the area's history, as the main village developed at a crossing point on the River Heddon. The combination of pastureland, elevation and river crossing provides a concrete framework for considering Parracombe's landscape and history together.
The historic settlement pattern in the Parracombe Conservation Area developed into four geographically separate hamlets. The area covers 27 ha and is the largest Conservation Area in Exmoor National Park. This spatial separation is part of its historic structure: Parracombe cannot be reduced to a single village centre. The main village represents development at the river crossing; Churchtown contains the parish's most interesting and earliest historic buildings. The two names therefore point to different historical reference points: settlement development by the river and the parish's early buildings.
Churches and building history
St Petrock's Church can be placed in several distinct building phases. The tower is the oldest part of the present building and dates from the late 12th century; most of the church dates from the 15th century. The interior fittings are almost entirely from the 17th and 18th centuries. The structure and fittings therefore belong to different periods. Visitors interested in historic architecture can consider the tower, the rest of the building and the interior fittings as separate historical layers, rather than assigning the church as a whole to a single period.
Christ Church provides a later historical marker: W. Oliver built it in 1878 at a new location. This late 19th-century building adds to the picture of Parracombe's church architecture, which spans several periods.
Holwell Castle
Holwell Castle is an early, probably short-lived motte-and-bailey castle. It was built either during the Norman Conquest or during 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. Its history therefore encompasses both the different possible dates and a cautiously worded interpretation of its strategic role.
Walking and heritage railway
The Exmoor Loop at Parracombe is a 9.5 km circular walking route through heathland. It starts and ends at the Fox and Goose Inn in Parracombe. Woody Bay Station is located at Martinhoe Cross, Parracombe. A one-mile section of the former Lynton and Barnstaple Railway is currently operated as a heritage railway between Woody Bay and Killington Lane.
These offer different kinds of outing: a circular walk through heathland and heritage railway services on a section of the former railway. The figures also use different units: the walk is given as 9.5 km, while the railway section is one mile long. If you would like to include the heritage railway in your travel plans, check the timetable in advance.
Discover more destinations: Copplestone, Parkham, Colebrooke, Luppitt, Whimple, Coffinswell, Meavy, West Buckland
For the wider travel overview: Devon.
