Dunkeswell

Coordinates: 50°51′N 3°13′W / 50.85°N 3.22°W / 50.85; -03.22

Dunkeswell
Dunkeswell  Dunkeswell shown within Devon
OS grid reference	ST1407
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Devon

Dunkeswell is a village in Devon, England. It is approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of the town of Honiton.

History

Dunkeswell is notable for having a busy small airfield, now Dunkeswell Aerodrome which was initially established as an American Navy air base during World War II, and continues to offer civil flight services to this day.

The church, built in 1868, is of interest for its Norman font.

Dunkeswell Eco Business Park, located near the aerodrome, was constructed to provide environmentally-friendly business space for start-up businesses, businesses run by younger owners or women, and businesses that have outgrown existing premises. ^[1]

Dunkeswell was the birthplace of the Canadian clergyman Henry Scadding.

Dunkeswell Abbey

The abbey is two miles north of the village. The abbey was founded in 1201 by William Briwere as a Cistercian monastery and offshoot of Forde Abbey. The founder granted much property within Devon to the abbey. Around two years before his death in 1226, he entered the community and was eventually buried in front of the high altar of the abbey church.

The abbey was closed in 1539 and granted to Lord Russell, and was mostly demolished quickly, though a section remained in domestic use until the 19th century. In 1842, a parish church was built over part of the site. Some surviving fragments of monastery include the partial end wall of the cellarer's range and parts of a gatehouse. Some carved fragments survive within Holy Trinity Church which was built here in 1842 in Early English style.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Dunkeswell Eco-Business Park - About Us". http://www.debp.org.uk/index.html. Retrieved 13 July 2011. 
2. ^ Pevsner, N. (1952) South Devon. Penguin Books; pp. 123-24

• New, Anthony A Guide to the Abbeys of England and Wales, p. 156-157. Constable.

External links

Media related to Dunkeswell at Wikimedia Commons

• Dunkeswell at Streetmap.co.uk

• Dunkeswell Memorial Museum

• uk-genealogy.org Information and pictures of Holy Trinity Church and the Abbey ruins

Coordinates: 50°51′48″N 3°13′17″W / 50.86333°N 3.22139°W / 50.86333; -3.22139