Churches of the British Isles

That chapel was pulled down and a new building was consecrated by John Ross, bishop of Exeter. That second building proved unsatisfactory so, in 1823, John Rolle, lord of the manor of Littleham, provided a site on 'Beacon Fields' and built a new church at his sole expense. A chancel was added in 1856 and an east window in 1885. Work started in 1905 to restore and extend the building. The Lady Chapel (Rolle Chapel) was added and various other measures were taken.

Holy Ghost Catholic Church is on the north side of Raddenstile Lane in Exmouth, overlooking the south-east leg of this rambling road as it connects to Salterton Road. Father Grainger started a mission in 1887 at The Lawn (now the Park Hotel - see links). The Catholic population of Exmouth gained St John the Evangelist iron church in 1891 but, in 1912, Lord Clinton offered the present site for this church. Enthusiasm extended to build a short-lived St Anne's Church (1968-2006).

The Convent of the Holy Family is on the south side of Long Causeway, about twenty metres to the east of the junction with Boarden Barn. Exmouth gained a regular mass in 1887, starting at The Lawn (see links), and concluding at the Holy Ghost (above). Little is said in official histories about the Holy Family convent or when it may have been founded, but a great deal of work went on in the town between the 1880s and the 1960s and the convent remained active in 2020.

Exmouth Hospital Chapel sits close to Claremont Grove and in the hospital grounds on the eastern side of the road. The foundation stone was laid on 3 September 1902, with a dedication which was attended both by an Anglican minister and a nonconformist equivalent. Lead-lined windows were added but the room remained unconsecrated. A 'refresher' dedication took place in 1964. The chapel was decommissioned in 2017 owing to financial complications.

What may be described as Hamilton Lane Chapel based on the scarcity of information has been pinned down as St Mary's Church, located on the southern side of Hamilton Lane, about forty-five metres west of Henley Road and formerly extending south to cover the site of the two semi-detached houses behind the site shown here. An aborted 1929 design was replaced by a fire-resistant early 1930s low building which closed about 1985, to be demolished soon after.

All photos on this page by P L Kessler & M Kessler.