Littleham: Church, Hollow Ways and Landscape

Littleham combines historic architecture with a landscape of wooded and grazed slopes. Narrow hollow ways are also part of the village’s character, leading to different parts of the widely scattered village. If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Littleham, these features can help you decide what to focus on during your stay: the church, the landscape or the village layout.

The building history of the Church of St Swithun

The Church of St Swithun in Littleham is listed as a Grade I building. The nave and chancel date from the mid-13th century, and the north transept from the late 13th century. The south aisle and west tower date from the early 15th century. To understand the building, it is therefore helpful to look at its individual parts, rather than only at the building as a whole.

The transept runs across the nave, while the aisle is attached to its side. These terms identify different parts of the church; together with the directional descriptions and dates, they help distinguish the parts by location and period. For architecture enthusiasts, comparing the 13th-century parts with the south aisle and west tower from the early 15th century makes the building phases easy to see.

The church’s furnishings include a 13th-century parish chest made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. Unlike the building’s layout, this draws attention to a single object and its craftsmanship. The development of the building and the making of a specific furnishing therefore present two distinct aspects side by side.

Landscape, village paths and the Tarka Trail

Littleham lies between wooded and grazed slopes, with views from there into the tree-lined valley of the River Yeo. The hillside landscape and the valley views are two distinct aspects of the village’s surroundings. The slopes describe the village’s setting, while the River Yeo is a named landmark for the views into the valley. You can therefore consider both aspects separately when planning your trip.

The narrow hollow ways run between high banks and lead to different parts of the widely scattered village. Their description thus links the form of the paths with Littleham’s layout: the paths lead to different parts of the village. If you are getting to grips with the village’s scattered character, these hollow ways provide a concrete connection between the shape of the terrain and the settlement pattern.

Nearby Landcross, two miles from Littleham, is on the Tarka Trail, a tree-lined route for cycling and walking. This makes it possible to distinguish the village paths from the trail in Landcross by location and function: the hollow ways lead to different parts of the village, while the Tarka Trail is a route for cycling and walking. If you plan to include the trail in a trip, check the latest access and path conditions beforehand, as these may change. The two-mile distance helps you include Landcross as a separate location in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Branscombe, Hartland, Chittlehampton, Chapelton, Uffculme, Meshaw, Molland, Crediton.

For the regional travel overview: Devon.