English Heritage sites near Lydford Parish
LYDFORD CASTLE AND SAXON TOWN
1 miles from Lydford Parish
Beautifully sited on the fringe of Dartmoor, Lydford boasts three defensive features. Near the centre is a 13th-century tower on a mound, built as a prison.
MERRIVALE PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT
7 miles from Lydford Parish
The group of monuments at Merrivale is one of the finest on Dartmoor: side by side here are the remains of a Bronze Age settlement and a complex of ritual sites.
OKEHAMPTON CASTLE
7 miles from Lydford Parish
Once the largest castle in Devon, nestling in the foothills of Dartmoor. Reputedly haunted and mentioned in the Domesday Book.
UPPER PLYM VALLEY
11 miles from Lydford Parish
This extraordinary landscape encompasses some 300 Bronze Age and medieval sites, covering 15 square kilometres (6 square miles) of Dartmoor.
GRIMSPOUND
11 miles from Lydford Parish
The best known of many Dartmoor prehistoric settlements, Grimspound dates from the late Bronze Age. The remains of 24 stone houses survive within a massive boundary wall.
LAUNCESTON CASTLE
12 miles from Lydford Parish
Launceston Castle dominates the surrounding landscape. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest, unusual in that during rebuilding one tower was constructed with the remains of the older.
Churches in Lydford Parish
St. Petroc's Lydford
Lydford
Okehampton
01837 861580
https://www.northmoorteam.org.uk
In the ancient Devonshire village of Lydford, St Petroc's is a Norman church but is founded on an earlier settlement. A small timber church probably stood on the site, built about 650AD. It was dedicated in honour of St. Petroc, a 6th century Celtic missionary who came from Wales (via Ireland) and brought the Gospel to many parts of Devon and Cornwall. The timber church was probably burnt down by Danish raiders in 997. It was rebuilt in Norman times, enlarged in the 13th century, and in the 15th century the tower and the south aisle were added.
Notable features of the church include the Saxon or early Norman Font, made of Hurdwick stone, the pews with their fine carved bench-ends with figures representing the Prophets, Martyrs and Saints of the Holy Church, border ornamentation based on the Benedicite: 'All the works of the Lord', and portraying the flora and fauna of the West Country. The Watchmaker's Tomb (now sited inside the church to prevent further damage from the elements) bears a unique epitaph describing George Routleigh as if he were a clock himself.
Today St Petroc's is a member of the Northmoor Team of Churches in the Okehampton area on the north-west edge of Dartmoor. There is a Sunday service every week at St Petroc's and the church is open to visitors throughout the year. A congregation of all ages is active in the village community, and the church is a beautiful venue for christenings, weddings and other special services. The Team clergy welcome enquiries about christenings and weddings. Do come to Lydford and visit St Petroc's - a place of prayer and wonder in a beautiful village steeped in history.
Pubs in Lydford Parish
Castle Inn
School Road, Lydford, EX20 4BH
(01822) 820242
castleinnlydford.co.uk
Lydford Country House Hotel
Real ale is not available here.