Devon village wins vital £13,500 grant to help save historic church from demolition

Campaigners trying to save their village church from demolition have been awarded a £13,500 heritage grant.

Saving St Petroc’s Petrockstowe (SSPP) says the money from the Architectural Heritage Fund is “a significant step forward” in protecting the Grade II listed church, which was closed for services two years ago after it fell into disrepair.

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The group wants to restore the building and develop it into a heritage skills and culture hub, and the viability grant will pay for a business plan to be created.

Members of the group have a crucial meeting with the Diocese of Exeter and the Church Commissioners on December 22 to decide the way forward.

The church was due to be demolished or sold after it was considered by the parochial church council to be no longer sustainable.

Congregation numbers had fallen and work to make the structure watertight was estimated at £400,000.

But a public meeting chaired by Torridge and Tavistock Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox last year showed the strength of feeling in the village for keeping the church as a community building.

The diocese agreed to extend its deadline by several months to allow the community time to come up with a viable project plan.

Chair of SSPP and Devon County Council cabinet member for rural affairs Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin (Lib Dem, Torrington Rural) said the group was delighted by the grant support: “St Petroc’s is a jewel of our rural heritage, beautiful, historic, and deeply meaningful to generations of families in Petrockstowe.

“This grant gives us the momentum we need to secure its future as a vibrant, community-led space.

“We face real challenges in this part of Devon. Lack of transport, low wages, and limited access to specialist training all impact opportunities for local people.

ABOVE: St Petroc's Church, Petrockstowe (Image: SSPP)

“By transforming St Petroc’s into a working heritage skills hub, we are not only preserving a treasured building, we are raising aspirations, improving access to education, and helping people develop the higher-level skills that lead to better-paid and more secure employment.

“This will be a project where learners gain experience on a real, live restoration, something no classroom can replicate. It’s an investment in our heritage, our young people, and the future prosperity of rural Devon.”

Malcolm Busby, chairman of Petrockstowe Parish Council, said a great deal of hard work had been put in by SSPP: “This will allow them to move forward with their vision of conserving the church building of St Petroc’s for future generations, while also building a heritage crafts, skills and culture hub. This is not only good news for Petrockstowe but the wider community of Devon.”

Local heritage advisor Emily Wapshott said it was heartening to see the “enormously uplifting ambitions of the working group” recognised by this prestigious national funder.

“This project has the potential to both enrich the life of the village and contribute positively to regeneration in the local area. The aims of training people in the specialist conservation construction skills so desperately needed across Torridge and West Devon, and bringing such a venue to this rural area, will improve access to education for a far broader demographic, where travel is often a barrier to upskilling.”