Bittadon Church, c1860, North Devon

Pencil and wash drawing of Bittadon Church, c1860, North Devon

Bittadon is a very small parish situated about 6 miles north of Barnstaple. In 1850 the parish had only 78 inhabitants and this number had shrunk to 45 by the time of the 2001 census. The parish church of Bittadon is dedicated to St Peter and in White's Directory of Devon for 1850 it is described in only the vaguest of terms as being 'a small antique edifice, mantled with ivy'. St Peter's is a Grade II listed building and its listing records that the church was completely rebuilt in 1883. Unfortunately, there is no description of the earlier building or of who was responsible for the rebuilding. In the opinion of the historian W.G. Hoskins, St Peter's Church was 'hideously rebuilt and ruined in 1883-7'.

This pencil and wash sketch of Bittadon Church was drawn by an unknown artist in about 1860. It is, therefore, a very important work indeed, as it may well be the only known illustration of the original church. There are, for example, no prints of Bittadon or Bittadon Church recorded in J.V. Somers Cocks book, 'Devon topographical prints, 1660-1870: a catalogue and guide', which was published by Devon Library Services in 1977.

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Prints and Drawings

Sketches of Devon churches