Church of St Pancras, Widecombe-in-the-Moor.
N 50° 34.608 W 003° 48.659
30U E 442577 N 5603079
Quick Description: A lovely church known as the "Cathedral of the Moor" is built of Dartmoor granite. This name reflects its relatively large size for the size of the village.Its tower can be seen for miles around.
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 3/28/2008 1:53:58 PM
Waymark Code: WM3FAZ
Views: 0
Long Description:
The church is built the site of a much earlier building dating from
the 13th century. The later church is cruciform in shape and
consists of chancel, nave, north and south aisles, north and south
transepts, south porch. This building dates from 1537 re-build.
There is a well-carved roof with many of the original bosses: one
has a goat, another a lion, a third the pelican, a fourth three
rabbits, each with a single ear uniting in the centre to form a
triangle, supposed to be an emblem of the Trinity. The tower is the
glory of Dartmoor and is said to have been erected by some tin
miners as a thanks offering for their success in finding tin. They
used the local Dartmoor granite of course. The tower was erected
and the church enlarged in 1537. The tower contains eight bells.
The oldest bell is dated 1632 with two new bells added in 2002.
On Sunday, October 21st 1638, during a terrific thunderstorm, the
church was struck by lightning. Unfortunately this was during a
church service. A tremendous amount of damage was sustained. Many
worshipers were injured and sadly four people died. The news of
this catastrophe spread like wildfire to the four corners of the
Kingdom.
The church was restored in 1874 with other works being done in
subsequent years.
Visit Instructions:
A current photo of the way mark would be good but is optional.