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Martinhoe

Coordinates:51°13′18″N3°54′35″W/ 51.2216°N 3.9098°W/51.2216; -3.9098
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St. Martin's church
Church of St Martin in Martinhoe

Martinhoeis a small settlement andcivil parishinNorth Devondistrict ofDevon,England. Martinhoe is within theExmoorNational Park, the smallestNational Parkin England. In the2011 censusMartinhoe Parish was recorded as having a population of 159.[1]Martinhoe is in theCombe Martinward, for elections to the district council.[2]Martinhoe's local government takes the form of aparish meetingand as such has no parish council nor elected parish councillors.

The northern boundary of the parish is the coast of theBristol Channel,along which goes theSouth West Coast Path.The neighbouring parishes areLynton and Lynmouthto the east,Parracombeto the south,Kentisburyto the south west, andCombe Martinto the west.[3]

The parish church of St Martin dates in part from the late 13th or early 14th century and is Grade II*listed.[4]It is in theDiocese of Exeter,and services are held once a month.[5]The boundaries of the church consist ofDevon hedges.

St Martin's churchyard once had two mature Irish Yew Trees, but one was lost in the winter storms of 2021. The one remaining is adjacent to the old rectory. Two English Yew tree saplings were planted in 2022.[citation needed]

There are 16listed buildingsin the parish, all at Grade II except the church.[6]The Beacon Roman fortlet, above the coast to the north west of the village, was occupied for a short time in the first century AD and was excavated in the 1960s.[7]The fort can only be accessed from theSouth West Coast Pathand not from the Martinhoe settlement itself.

Martinhoe Footpaths
Martinhoe Footpaths
Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel: View from Martinhoe

Hannington Hall, opposite the church of St Martin, was named afterJames Hannington,a curate of Martinhoe and who lived in what is now The Old Rectory Hotel, next to St Martin's. Bishop Hannington was martyred in Uganda in 1885.[8]A new access path was added to Hannington Hall in August 2024.[citation needed]

Hilda Doolittleand her husbandRichard Aldingtonmoved into the Martinhoe School House in 1916[9]and she wrote many of her poems and essays there.[10]

Woody Bayon the coast of the parish was the site of a failed development plan in the 1890s. It is now home to rare flora. Woody Bay is owned by the National Trust.[11]

Heddon Valleyis in the Martinhoe Parish. The valley is home to rare butterflies. The valley is owned by the National Trust.[12][13]

TheRiver Heddonflows through the Heddon Valley into the Bristol Channel at Heddon Mouth where there is an old lime kiln.

TheLynton and Barnstaple Railwayran through the southern part of the parish, andWoody Bay railway stationis in the parish; at 964 feet (294 m) it is said to be the highest railway station in southern England.[14]TheLynton and Barnstaple Railway Trustoperates narrow gauge trains over one mile of track between the station and Killington Lane.[15]The service runs mainly in the warmer months but has a Santa Express at Christmas. It recently had planning permission to extend the line to the Blackmoor Gate.

Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway


Hollow Brook waterfall

Hollow Brook (or Hollowbrook) Waterfall, that can be seen from the South West Coast Path, which drops to the sea due north of the village, is claimed to be "the westcountry's [sic] highest coastal waterfall, and one of the highest in Britain ", dropping 210 metres (690 ft) in a series of falls including two of 50 metres (160 ft), over 400 metres (1,300 ft) horizontal distance.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^UK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Martinhoe parish (1170213129)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved24 June2018.
  2. ^"Combe Martin".Linked Data.Ordnance Survey.Retrieved24 June2018.
  3. ^"About the area: Martinhoe parish".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics. Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2016.Retrieved18 August2016.
  4. ^Historic England."Church of St Martin (1106778)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved18 August2016.
  5. ^"St Martin, Martinhoe".achurchnearyou.Church of England.Retrieved18 August2016.
  6. ^"Advanced search".National Heritage List for England.Historic England.Retrieved18 August2016.Enter parish name to search
  7. ^"The Beacon Roman Fortlet, Martinhoe".Exmoor National Park Authority.Retrieved18 August2016.
  8. ^"Ma(r)king the Way to Martinhoe".Ma(r)king the Way to Martinhoe.Retrieved17 January2020.
  9. ^Zilboorg, Caroline, ed. (2003).Richard Aldington and H.D.: Their Lives in Letters.Manchester UP. p. 21.ISBN9780719059728.Retrieved17 January2020.
  10. ^"Ma(r)king the Way to Martinhoe".Ma(r)king the Way to Martinhoe.Retrieved17 January2020.
  11. ^"Woody Bay's Victorian heritage".National Trust.Retrieved17 January2020.
  12. ^"Heddon Valley".National Trust.Retrieved17 January2020.
  13. ^"Butterfly conservation in Heddon Valley".National Trust.Retrieved17 January2020.
  14. ^"Welcome".Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Trust.Retrieved18 August2016.
  15. ^"Visitor information".Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Trust.Retrieved18 August2016.
  16. ^"Top 10 winter waterfalls".Countryfile.Retrieved18 August2016.Source for 210m height
  17. ^"Walk - Martinhoe Roman Fortlet".SouthWest Coast Path Association.Retrieved18 August2016.

Further reading

[edit]
  • "Martinhoe".Analysis of Smaller Settlements in Exmoor National Park.Exmoor National Park Authority Policy & Community Team. 2013. pp. 15–20.Includes large-scale map, aerial and other photographs, and description.
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51°13′18″N3°54′35″W/ 51.2216°N 3.9098°W/51.2216; -3.9098

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