Burlescombe

Welcome to Burlescombe!

Burlescombe Parish stretches from Fenacre in the north to Leonard Moor Cross in the south and from Maidendown in the east to Holbrook in the west. It includes Burlescombe, Westleigh, Canonsleigh, Westcott, Waterloo Cross, Junction 27 of the M5, Tiverton Parkway, Appledore, Southdown and Ayshford. The parish has a long history with several properties mentioned in the Doomsday book. Canonsleigh Abbey, whose 11th century gatehouse still stands, was a wealthy and influential institution until its dissolution in 1539.

The manor house at Ayshford, with its chapel of ease, was the seat of the Ayshford family who owned much of the parish until as recently as 1939. The Ayshford’s were benefactors of the parish church of St Mary, well established by 1324. Elizabethan and Jacobean memorials are features of the interior. More recently the family was instrumental in building Burlescombe School that opened in 1859, eleven years before the great Education Act of 1870 which saw the establishment of so many village schools.

Interesting facts

• Although the parish is largely agricultural it is also surprisingly industrialised. The limestone quarry at Westleigh has been worked since medieval times and is still fully active.
• Brunel’s Great Western Railway was built in the 1840s and, although Burlescombe’s station disappeared in the 1960s, it still serves the parish at Tiverton Parkway. A more modern transport link, the M5 motorway follows Brunel’s route through the parish.
• In more recent times the Parish Council has purchased a piece of land from Aggregate Industries along which the narrow gauge railway, that linked the quarry to the main line, used to run. It has become part of a delightful walk along the Old Railway Line.

What’s on

• Burlescombe Monthly Market takes place around the last Saturday of every month in the Westleigh Community Hall. A great place to shop locally each month – you will find fresh local produce, plants, food served from their café, crafts and much more at the market!

Places to visit

• Burlescombe Parish Church, which is dedicated to St Mary, is chiefly of the time of Henry VII (1485-1509) and was renovated in 1843. It contains a beautiful ancient rood-screen and fine monuments of the Ayshford family. The parish church was renovated in 1843 when new carved oak pews and stained glass windows were added.

Places to eat

• Waterloo Cross, a few minutes down the road from Burlescombe in Uffculme, is a great traditional pub serving up hot and cold food. They also offer accommodation, with a yummy breakfast included in each room rate!

Walks

• Burlescombe to Holcombe Rogus Walk, which is a 3 mile varied route which uses the Grand Western Canal towpath, footpaths across farmland and quiet country lanes, and passes through the beautiful Mid Devon countryside and surrounding villages.
• You could walk along the Grand Western Canal, which is a family-friendly walking route. The towpath is mainly flat and you can enjoy the stunning views of the canal.

Nearby

• Ayshford
• Sampford Peverell
• Holcombe Rogus

Acknowledgement

Image courtesy of Lewis Clarke / Burlescombe : Churchyard & Village Road / CC BY-SA 2.0

Many thanks to Burlescombe Parish Council for providing information for this site.