The Church House
Encyclopedia
The Church House is a fine two-storey granite
building in Widecombe-in-the-Moor
, Devon
, England
, dating from 1537, which stands alongside the church, overlooking the tiny village square. It is a National Trust
property.
for the production of church ales, became adapted as an almshouse
, and later became the village school
. Today, it is used as a meeting place for local people.
Sexton's Cottage forms the western end of the building and is now a National Trust shop and Dartmoor National Park information point.
Standing in front of the building is a 15-inch naval shell, which was donated to the village after the First World War
to thank the villagers for supplying troops with sphagnum
moss. This grows in abundance in the damp Dartmoor conditions, and is said to have healing properties. It was used as an emergency field dressing for injured troops.
on the north side of the moor. This small, robust late 15th–early 16th century building was built of granite and has a thatched roof. Lying just inside the northern edge of Dartmoor National Park, at the heart of the village of South Tawton, it is a Grade II* Listed historic building.
A special feature is the roof structure, which preserves cruck
truss
es and rare smoke-blackened thatch.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
building in Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Widecombe-in-the-Moor is a small village located within the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. . The name is thought to derive from 'Withy-combe' which means Willow Valley....
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, dating from 1537, which stands alongside the church, overlooking the tiny village square. It is a National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
property.
Overview
The Church House is thought to have originally been built as a breweryBrewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
for the production of church ales, became adapted as an almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
, and later became the village school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
. Today, it is used as a meeting place for local people.
Sexton's Cottage forms the western end of the building and is now a National Trust shop and Dartmoor National Park information point.
Standing in front of the building is a 15-inch naval shell, which was donated to the village after the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to thank the villagers for supplying troops with sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
moss. This grows in abundance in the damp Dartmoor conditions, and is said to have healing properties. It was used as an emergency field dressing for injured troops.
Other properties of the same name
Another Dartmoor Church House can be found at South TawtonSouth Tawton
South Tawton, a village on the North edge of Dartmoor, Devon, England is an ancient demesne , going back at least to the time of the Saxons, if not to the Romans, who named the river Taw, the Tavus.-History:...
on the north side of the moor. This small, robust late 15th–early 16th century building was built of granite and has a thatched roof. Lying just inside the northern edge of Dartmoor National Park, at the heart of the village of South Tawton, it is a Grade II* Listed historic building.
A special feature is the roof structure, which preserves cruck
Cruck
A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...
truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es and rare smoke-blackened thatch.