St Peter's Church

St Peter's is the Anglican church for the parish of Tawstock and is located at the foot of the hill below Tawstock Court. It is also an impressive building even if it is somewhat overshadowed by its more elevated hillside companion.

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Built in the 14th century with some materials dating from two hundred before, the church has undergone significant refurbishments in the succeeding years. Notable among these efforts to ensure the church's structural survival was the restoration of 1867-8 by Sir Gilbert Scott at the time when the Revd Henry Bourchier Wrey was the vicar. The Bourchier Wrey family owned Tawstock Court at that time.  Refurbishment costs amounted to £1300 and involved re-roofing the chancel and re-seating the nave.

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In the 1990s, further significant work was undertaken with the principal aim of restoring as many on the church's 49 monuments as funds would allow. Among these monuments are many in memory of members of the Bouchier-Wrey family, generations of whom owned and occupied Tawstock Court.

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English Heritage was engaged at the time to produce a report on the condition of the monuments following which a fundraising campaign was undertaken.The substantial sum  of £100000 was raised, enabling roughly a quarter of the monuments to be restored.

St Peter's is part of the Two Rivers Mission Community in which eleven parish churches located between the rivers Taw and Torridge work together to bring the Word of God to the people of their parishes. The other ten churches are Alverdiscott, Atherington, Beaford, High Bickington, Horwood, Huntshaw, Newton Tracey, Roborough, St Giles and Yarnscombe.

 

​Contact details:

St Peters Church- Rev Gary Owen, The Rectory High Bickington UmberleighEX37 9AY 01769 560792

 

Enquiries relating to Weddings, Funerals & the church graveyard please contact the Reverend above and not Tawstock Parish Council. Tawstock Parish Council supply these details for information only.