Salcombe Regis Church, 1880, Devon

Pencil and wash drawing of Salcombe Regis Church, 1880, Devon

Salcombe Regis Church

The parish church of St Mary and St Peter, Salcombe Regis, was originally built between 1120 and 1130 and has later additions from the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th centuries. This pencil and wash drawing of the exterior of the church was drawn on the 7th of September 1880, by an unknown artist.  The tower in the foreground dates from around 1445. The chancel was restored in 1869 by the renowned London architect Ewan Christian (1814-1895). Christian was architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and is notable for his design of the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The botanist, the Reverend Richard Cresswell (1815-1882), was curate here for a short time from 1844. His daughter was the well-known Devon antiquary, topographer and author, Beatrix Cresswell (1862-1940). Her manuscript notes on the history and architecture of Devon churches are held at the Devon Heritage Centre. 

The churchyard contains the graves of John Ambrose Fleming (1849-1945), electrical engineer and father of modern electronics, Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (1836-1920), astronomer and founder of the Norman Lockyer Observatory, and R. W. Sampson (1866-1950), the architect and artist responsible for almost the whole of the architectural layout of early 20th century Sidmouth.

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Prints and Drawings

Sketches of Devon churches