Discover West Buckland

West Buckland’s specific historical points of interest include the Church of St Peter and several named tombs. The round barrow cemetery southwest of Tossell’s Barton and the building and school history in South Stoodleigh broaden the perspective to cover different periods and subjects. This gives you a choice when planning your trip between church architecture, individual tomb monuments, archaeological landscapes and institutional history. If you’re looking for a hotel in West Buckland, these distinctions can help you sort out the subjects that interest you and plan suitable days for your trip.

Church of St Peter: Building History

The Church of St Peter in West Buckland is a Grade II* listed building. The tower retains fabric from the 15th century; the rest of the building was rebuilt, and the tower was restored by R. D. Gould between 1860 and 1863. The same building therefore brings together medieval fabric, rebuilding and restoration. For travellers interested in historic architecture, this sequence offers a specific point of reference: the building’s history spans more than one century, linking the medieval tower with later structural changes.

Tombs with Dates and Local Connections

The tombs also provide specific details that can be dated. The Jones headstone in West Buckland is an ornate slate gravestone from 1824, made by H. Britton of Landkey. The Dallyn headstone dates from 1818, is also made of slate, and bears an inscription to Richard Dallyn. It stands about 1 m south of the east end of the south aisle of the Church of St Peter.

Another group stands about 2 m southwest of the church’s south porch: the Chapple chest tomb, the Huxtable headstone and two accompanying verse stones. They date from the mid-19th century. The chest tomb has a slate slab resting on a brick base and was made by T. Britton. The group’s gravestones are made of slate. Together, the examples show differences in form, material and date: from the individually named gravestones of 1818 and 1824 to the later group with its chest tomb and verse stones.

The Round Barrow Cemetery on Stoodleigh Down

About 450 m southwest of Tossell’s Barton is a round barrow cemetery on Stoodleigh Down. It consists of twelve circular mounds of varying sizes, each surrounded by a surrounding ditch. The cemetery is a Bronze Age monument type and dates to around 2000–700 BC. Stoodleigh Down is a ridge overlooking the valleys of tributaries of the River Bray. Here, the shape and number of the mounds are complemented by their association with a distant period and their location above the river valleys. This archaeological point of reference differs from the individual tombs at the Church of St Peter, which date to the 19th century.

Building and School History in South Stoodleigh

South Stoodleigh Farmhouse adds another period to the building history. It may have a 17th-century core; the house was completely remodelled in 1731. It is unusual for the area because it retains many 18th-century features. This unusual character applies to South Stoodleigh Farmhouse itself; a possible early building phase and a specifically dated remodelling are both part of its history, though the earlier date cannot be considered certain.

West Buckland School was founded in South Stoodleigh in 1858 by J. L. Brereton to educate the middle classes. Its grounds cover 100 acres and lie in the countryside near the Atlantic coast. The school therefore brings together a dated foundation with a specific educational purpose and an extensive campus. This adds institutional history to the architectural and archaeological subjects, without equating the school’s history with the building history of the farmhouse.

Getting Here and Planning Your Trip

Bus route 873 may be useful for getting here and travelling onward. Taw & Torridge operates it on Thursdays, except public holidays, between Brayford and South Molton via West Buckland. The service is therefore limited to a particular day of the week. Check the current timetable before travelling, and don’t plan on using this route on just any day of your trip.

If you’re looking for a hotel in West Buckland, you can match the historical highlights to your travel plans: church architecture, the history of the tombs, the archaeological landscape or the history of South Stoodleigh. For getting here, it also matters whether Thursday suits your plans if you want to use route 873.

Discover more destinations: Martinhoe, Broadclyst, Holsworthy, Wotter, Mortehoe, Meshaw, Woolfardisworthy, Hemyock.

For the broader travel overview: Devon.