Celebrating our church heritage

Our historic church buildings are local (and national) treasures. Constructed and adorned to speak of the glory of God, they tell the stories of our communities, and they contain countless works of art crafted from glass, wood, silver and stone. As places of spirituality for hundreds of years, these are buildings where everyone is welcome, where we can find inspiration, peace, joy, companionship and faith.

Historic churches are missional in the very fact that people are drawn to them. They offer opportunities to start a conversation with people who might think church isn’t for them. They are of increasing importance in an era where the village shop and pub are gone and the digital world has left people craving connection. Our ancestors are buried in the churchyard, our parents were married in the church, the bells sound across the generations. This is our place.

More than that, these buildings are a free to visit, publicly accessible repository of history and art. We are the custodians of something unbelievably special (a huge responsibility as well as a privilege). Recognising this opens doors, not only for mission, but for funding – in terms of grants and regular income from visitors.

There are just over 600 church buildings in the Diocese of Exeter. Each represents the lives of thousands of people who have worshipped, celebrated and mourned there. Our churches contain many objects of great beauty and craftsmanship, both ancient and modern. These can often tell a story of liturgical and social change, along with changes in fashion and architectural styles.

39% of our church buildings are listed at Grade I, meaning they are of exceptional interest.
35% are listed at Grade II*, meaning they are particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
17% are listed at Grade II, meaning they are of special interest.
9% are unlisted.

Buildings are listed for special architectural and/or historic interest. Special architectural interest might be related to a well known architect designing the building, or it being a rare or particularly good example of a style. Special historic interest is more about the social history of the building – who used it, what happened there, and what role has it played in our history? You can find out more about listing, and look up listing descriptions for listed churches, on the Historic England website.

Map courtesy of Devon Churchland, an amazing resource providing photographic and descriptive records of many of our church buildings in the Diocese of Exeter.

You can find further information by using the links below: