Martinhoe: Roman Heritage and Church Architecture

Martinhoe brings together Roman heritage, a listed parish church and archaeological traces on Martinhoe Common. This offers a range of cultural highlights to consider when planning a trip: The Beacon represents Roman history, St Martin spans several periods of church architecture, and the Common features burial mounds and historic route connections.

Roman history at The Beacon

Martinhoe Castle, known as The Beacon, is a Roman signal station located 850 m northwest of Martinhoe. The Martinhoe Roman Fortlet walking route leads to the Roman fortlet at The Beacon. This makes the focus of this theme both a specifically named monument with a stated location and a walking route leading to a Roman site.

Church of St Martin: building history and features

The Church of St Martin is a Grade II* listed parish church in Martinhoe. Its chancel dates from the late 13th or early 14th century. S. S. Teulon restored the church in 1866–1867. Its features include a 1864 font made of polychrome marble and decorated with foliage. Polychrome means multicoloured.

The chancel, font and restoration refer to different aspects: the chancel is part of the building, the font is a furnishing, and the restoration is a later intervention to the building. Therefore, the medieval date applies to the chancel and not automatically to the entire church building. The font dates from the 19th century, before the restoration. St Martin thus brings together a medieval building element, a 19th-century furnishing and a later restoration. For those interested in architecture, this comparison of periods offers a tangible way into the church’s history.

Archaeological traces on Martinhoe Common

Six bowl barrows lie on a prominent ridge on Martinhoe Common, overlooking Woody Bay. Seven round barrows on Martinhoe Common are visible as low, grass-covered mounds of earth and stone; they are probably Bronze Age in date. As their physical condition may change, check before visiting whether their shapes are still recognisable.

These features offer different clues for understanding the landscape: for the bowl barrows, these include their position on the ridge and the view over Woody Bay; for the round barrows, the focus is on their visible form and probable date. This connects a specific landscape setting with archaeological features without presenting the Bronze Age dating as certain.

Historic routes and landscape connections

Traces of hollow ways on the eastern side of Martinhoe Common are part of the historic route from the Woody Bay area to Parracombe. By contrast, the Martinhoe Roman Fortlet walking route leads to the Roman fortlet at The Beacon. These are distinct route connections: historic route traces and a named walking route.

Martinhoe is designated as Exmoor Heritage Coast. If you want to take this designation into account when planning a specific visit, check the details with the park authority.

For your trip planning, it may help to compare sites by interest: St Martin can be explored through its dated building elements, furnishings and restoration; Martinhoe Common through its location, visible burial mound forms and historic route connections. If you are particularly interested in medieval heritage, the chancel is a specific point of reference. Those who want to combine landscape and archaeology can focus on the features on the Common.

Discover more destinations: Beaworthy, Lynmouth, Culmstock, Chulmleigh, Upton Pyne, Modbury, Parracombe, North Tawton

For the broader travel overview: Devon.