Modern Britain

St Boniface Parish Church occupies the northern corner at the junction between Brookway and Lloyd's Crescent. The church was built in the 1950s as part of the development of council housing in the Brookway area. The tower contains a single bell. In the snowy winter of 2018 the roof received some attention, while in 2019 Devon County Council voted in favour of adopting St Boniface as the patron saint of Devon. St Boniface was born in Crediton about AD 680.

Pinhoe Tabernacle (Baptist and Congregational) is on the east side of Old Pinn Lane, about eighty metres north of the southernmost junction with the new Pinn Lane. It was already in existence in 1887-1888, but by 1903 it had become Pinhoe Tabernacle (Congregational), suggesting a concentration of its doctrine. By 1933 it was more simply Pinhoe Congregational Church, and following the union of 1972 it is now Pinhoe United Reformed Church.

The Hall Church sits on the eastern side of Main Road, about sixty metres south of the junction with Station Road. The building provides an alternative venue for worship to the distant St Michael's Church (see below), high on its lonely hill overlooking Pinhoe. A school was erected in 1837 on the site of the now-lost Pinhoe Church House. In 1850 two cottages were converted into a school, and when that closed in 1887 it was taken as the present Anglican mission church.

The Church of St Michael & All Angels Pinhoe sits at the western end of Church Lane, in the open countryside of Beacon Hill immediately to the north-west of modern Pinhoe. Originally the village was clustered around the church, safe from flooding in the marshy valley of the Pin Brook which feeds into the Exe. As the marsh was cleared and dried, the village gradually extended downhill, leaving the church alone. Even the vestry is located amongst the shops of Pinhoe.

The first church on this site was Saxon, although historical detail is lacking. It was certainly present in 1001 when Danes attacked and destroyed much of the village, despite the priest braving the enemy lines to restock the village's arrow supplies. The present limestone building was erected in the late 1300s and early 1400s, with a red stone west tower. The chancel was rebuilt in 1879-1880 by Christian, and further restoration work was handled by Fulford.

Three photos on this page by P L Kessler, with one kindly contributed by Keith Guyler / British Methodist Buildings via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and two photos copyright © David Smith & Anthony Vosper, and reused under a cc licence. The tour now progresses into East Devon.