Northlew

Last updated

Northlew
NorthlewCottageChurch.jpg
Thatched cottage and parish church at Northlew
Devon UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Northlew
Location within Devon
Population592  [1] (2001 Census)
OS grid reference SX504991
•  London 207 miles (333 km)
Civil parish
  • Northlew
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town OKEHAMPTON
Postcode district EX20
Dialling code 01409
Police Devon and Cornwall
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
Website http://www.northlew.com/
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°46′20″N4°07′16″W / 50.7721°N 4.1212°W / 50.7721; -4.1212 Coordinates: 50°46′20″N4°07′16″W / 50.7721°N 4.1212°W / 50.7721; -4.1212

Northlew is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of the county of Devon, England. To the west of the village, but within the parish, are the hamlets of West Kimber and East Kimber. The village falls within the electoral ward of Lew Valley. Its population at the 2011 census was 2,024. [2]

Contents

Geography and history

The village is approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the town of Okehampton, and most places in the village have excellent views over Dartmoor. The village is relatively isolated, not being served by any main roads. It has an attractive main square surrounded by traditional buildings, some of them thatched; just off the square are a pub, the local primary school and two churches, the Church of England parish church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury and the Methodist church (originally Bible Christian). The evangelical Christian preacher Ann Freeman was born here in 1797. [3] The ecclesiastical parish of Northlew has been combined with the neighbouring village of Ashbury, and since the school is a Church of England voluntary controlled school, it bears the name of both villages.

The hamlet of Crowden is on the Highampton side of the village.

Historically, Northlew formed part of Black Torrington Hundred. It gets its name from the ancient manor of Lew, mentioned in the Domesday Book; the village of Lewdown and the River Lew are nearby. The village has the melancholy distinction of having lost the highest proportion of its enlisting population of any municipality in the United Kingdom during the First World War: of 100 men who enlisted in the forces, 24 died. A stone memorial to them was recently erected in the churchyard, replacing wooden memorial tablets within the church.

Legend has it that the devil died of the cold in Northlew. There is a stone in the village that represents where the devil is meant to have died of the cold. [4]

The Bell Ringers song

The village features in the song The Bellringing popularised by Tony Rose. [5] The song harks back to the days of "prize ringing", when bands of ringers would compete for a prize. The bells were rung in the English "full-circle" style, and the winners would be those who "struck" or caused the bells to strike, in the neatest and most regular way. The "Men of Northlew" – who "rang so steady and true", beat the bell ringers of Broadwood in two competitions; first at Ashwater Town, and then later at Callington Town. This song and "The ringers of Egloshayle" are the best known of the traditional ringing folk songs. "The Bell Ringing" was collected by the Rev S Baring Gould and published in "Songs of the West".

The interior of Northlew church, showing the magnificent rood screen Northlew church interior.JPG
The interior of Northlew church, showing the magnificent rood screen

Telephone kiosk

In 2009 BT decided to decommission Northlews only public telephone kiosk due to it being 'uneconomical'. The kiosk in Northlew has stood on the same site since 1939 and is one of the few remaining K6 boxes designed by architect Sir Giles Scott to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V. Five directors of Nothlew broadband decided to take it over with the assistance of Northlew Parish Council. They then re-activated the kiosk back into a working telephone box; the very first village in the UK to do so. [6]

WW1 memorial

Northlew, lost proportionately more young men from the enlisted population than any other town city or place in the UK, as such the residents of Northlew agreed to honour them with the world's longest Poppy Avenue of just over 10 miles (20 miles of verges) from the town of Okehampton to Broadbury via Northlew. This involved the planting of over 360 Million poppy seeds.

The project will break a number of world records; namely, The world's longest poppy avenue, The world's longest carpet of flowers beating the People's Republic Of China by 8.6 miles. It will also be the longest War Memorial in the Northern Hemisphere.

On the evening of 28 June 2014, Christopher Marson designed and hosted an international evening attended by almost 1500 people and leading international media companies to mark the passage of 100 years. This included an original SE5 Bi plane flypast, Various military agencies and a 3D projection onto the ancient Saxon square to give the impression of being on the battlefield. The link to the evening can be found here. Northlew WW1 Memorial

Sutton Seeds who is the UK's main supplier of seeds also supplied over 42 Kilos of poppy seeds to the village have also agreed to name a Poppy, 'The Northlew Poppy' They also donated a Canadian Oak Tree which will grow to be the tallest tree in the village and turn a blood red around Armistice day in memorial of our fallen, it can be found in the village park. This was planted by Christopher Marson (On Behalf of the village of Northlew) Mark Parkhouse (Lord Lieutenant of Devon) on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, Nick McKinnel (Bishop of Crediton) and the MD of Sutton Seeds Bernard Bejar. Prayers were said in the name of peace.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Change ringing</span> Art of ringing a set of bells in mathematical patterns

Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a tightly controlled manner to produce precise variations in their successive striking sequences, known as "changes". This can be by method ringing in which the ringers commit to memory the rules for generating each change, or by call changes, where the ringers are instructed how to generate each change by instructions from a conductor. This creates a form of bell music which cannot be discerned as a conventional melody, but is a series of mathematical sequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okehampton</span> Town in Devon, England

Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based in the town. Their joint population at the same census was 7,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wittering, Cambridgeshire</span> Human settlement in England

Wittering is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The village is about 3 miles (5 km) south of the market town of Stamford in neighbouring Lincolnshire and about 9 miles (14 km) west of Peterborough's urban sprawl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belstone</span> Village in Devon, England

Belstone is a small village and civil parish in the West Devon District of Devon, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christow</span> Village in Devon, England

Christow is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England, about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Exeter. The village is in the Teign Valley, just off the B3193 road that links Chudleigh and Dunsford. Christow is on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uffington, Oxfordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Uffington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Faringdon and 6 miles (10 km) west of Wantage. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 783. It was originally in the county of Berkshire, but under the Local Government Act 1972 it was transferred for local government purposes to Oxfordshire. The Uffington White Horse hill figure is on the Berkshire Downs on the south side of the parish. The village has been twinned with Le Chevain in France since 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Petherwin</span> Human settlement in England

North Petherwin is a civil parish and village in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated five miles (8 km) northwest of Launceston on a ridge above the River Ottery valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashbury, Oxfordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Ashbury is a village and large civil parish at the upper end (west) of the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is centred 7 miles (11 km) east of Swindon in neighbouring Wiltshire. The parish includes the hamlets of Idstone and Kingstone Winslow. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 506.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egloshayle</span> Human settlement in England

Egloshayle is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is beside the River Camel, southeast of Wadebridge. The civil parish stretches southeast from the village and includes Washaway and Sladesbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Tudy</span> Human settlement in England

St Tudy is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the River Camel valley approximately five miles northeast of Wadebridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeal Monachorum</span> Village in Devon, England

Zeal Monachorum is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England, about 18 miles (29 km) north-west of Exeter, situated on the River Yeo. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 398. The village is in the electoral ward of Taw whose population at the 2011 Census was 1,660.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacobstowe</span> Village in Devon, England

Jacobstowe is a village and civil parish on the west bank of the River Okement, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Okehampton in the West Devon district of Devon, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham University Society of Change Ringers</span> Bellringers society

The Nottingham University Society of Change Ringers (NUSCR) is one of the oldest societies affiliated to the University of Nottingham Students' Union, being founded in 1958. Its principal aim is to allow students from both the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University to practise English Change Ringing. It also represents the University at the annual Northern Universities Association (NUA) Striking Competition each November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridestowe</span> Village in Devon, England

Bridestowe is a civil parish and village in the district of West Devon, Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Bratton Clovelly, Sourton, Bridestowe and Sourton Common, Lydford, Lewtrenchard and Thrushelton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashbury, Devon</span> Village in Devon, England

Ashbury is a village in Devon, England. It is 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Hatherleigh. Its population is 65.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilbie family</span>

The Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers based initially in Chew Stoke, Somerset and later at Cullompton, Devon in south-west England from the late 17th century to the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drewsteignton</span> Village in Devon, England

Drewsteignton is a village, civil parish and former manor within the administrative area of West Devon, England, also lying within the Dartmoor National Park. It is located in the valley of the River Teign, 13 miles (21 km) west of Exeter and 9 miles (14 km) south east of Okehampton. Visitor attractions in the area include the village centre itself, nearby Castle Drogo, and Fingle Bridge. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 1,616.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Burstow</span> Musical artist

Henry Burstow (1826–1916) was a shoemaker and bellringer from Horsham, Sussex, best known for his vast repertoire of songs, many of which were collected in the folksong revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was also the author of Reminiscences of Horsham, which gives a lively picture of life in a rural town in the mid-nineteenth century.

Elias Tozer was a Devon journalist, poet and collector of folk stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Church, Ballymena</span> Church in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

St Patrick's Church is a Church of Ireland church, located on Castle Street, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is the main Parish Church in Ballymena's Anglican parish of Kirkinriola and Ballyclug, and is the main civic church of the town. The current church replaced an older church dating from the early 18th century on Church Street, and was opened in 1855. The new church was destroyed by fire in December 1879, and it was restored by the original builder, keeping to the same design. It reopened in 1881.

References

  1. ↑ Neighbourhood Statistics – Parish Headcounts
  2. ↑ "Lew Valley ward 2011" . Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Amy Culley, ‘Freeman , Ann (1797–1826)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, October 2009 accessed 5 February 2017
  4. ↑ Hervey, W.R. "The Place where the Devil died of Cold": the histories of the united parishes of Northlew and Ashbury. "United by Order in Council". Typescript (1876) 169p. [Westcountry Studies Library – sB/NOR 6/0001/PLA]
  5. ↑ "The Bellringing" . Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  6. ↑ Roberts, Laura (30 July 2010). "Village clubs together to reconnect red phone box which charges 1p per minute". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.