Virginstowe: Churches, Chapels and the River Carey

Virginstowe brings together church and local history with a landscape of hills, paths and the River Carey. If you are looking for hotels in Virginstowe, its religious buildings, with their dated details, as well as the river and footpaths offer tangible points of reference for getting to know the destination.

Church history in Virginstowe

St Bridget’s in Virginstowe welcomes visitors. The church was first mentioned in 1521 and was dedicated to St Bridget the Virgin. A stained-glass window depicts the Irish Saint Bridget. A slate altar frontal in the church is dated 1624 and commemorates William Crocker of Crows Nest. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on 25 March 1851; the Bishop of Exeter consecrated it on 1 June 1852. Early mention, an older furnishing and the 19th-century new building thus stand side by side. A grave in the churchyard is marked by a pink granite cross surrounded by iron railings. St Bridget’s belongs to the Anglican Diocese of Truro; geographically, Virginstowe is in Devon.

Ebenezer Chapel and its surroundings

A second religious landmark in the village is Ebenezer Chapel, a Methodist chapel. A plaque on it bears the inscription “EBENEZER CHAPEL 1862”. Another plaque, dated 1881, is on the Sunday school extension. The two dates therefore refer to the chapel and its later Sunday school extension. The chapel’s location also shapes the impression it makes: it stands on a rise on the road to Tillislow Farm, more than 600 feet above sea level. From there, the view stretches far across open countryside. The history of the church and chapel can be read here through different buildings, inscriptions and dates.

Footpaths and the River Carey

Several footpaths can be walked from Virginstowe. A short footpath leads along the road to the River Carey and its ford. The Carey forms the western boundary of the parish and is a tributary of the Tamar. A fish pass was installed at Middle Bridge in 1999 to enable more salmonids to migrate upstream to spawn. The parish boundary and a specific example of the river’s course are both useful local points of reference. If you plan to take the short walk, check the path conditions beforehand, as they can change.

River landscape and nature observations

In the west of the parish, the disused railway follows the river valley. Together with the River Carey, the old track forms a wildlife corridor. The parish of Virginstow is home to Beautiful Demoiselles and Banded Demoiselles; red deer and roe deer live in its woods. The shaded valley is home to field horsetail, royal fern and muskroot. These observations cover different habitats: the river, the woods and the shaded valley. Alongside its church buildings, they give Virginstowe a natural history dimension distinct from its historic local heritage.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Cornworthy, Broadhembury, Shaldon, Upottery, East Putford, Umberleigh, Harberton, Cheriton Bishop.

For the main travel overview: Devon.