Welcome to Alfington church
The Alfington Church community is small but very committed. Our usual attendance is between 8 and 10 and we hold 2 services a month, currently both services of Holy Communion. We are a very relaxed and welcoming church, where being perfect definitely takes second place to being genuine. We sing our hymns unaccompanied and everyone helps out in one way or another. The church is very cold most of the year but our friendship is warm!
Location and information
Address
Church of St James and St Anne
Church lane
Alfington
EX11 1PE
Nearest defibrillator
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Church Officers
Churchwardens (or if vacant the parish priest) can help you with general enquiries about the church, and if you are researching your family history. PCC Secretaries can help with information about the work of the Parochial Church Council and any correspondence should be directed to them. PCC treasurers deal with the finances of the church and are always pleased to discuss giving to the church or making a legacy in your will.
Bridget Faithfull
Churchwarden
Val Phillips
Churchwarden
Philip Cannon
PCC Secretary
Philip Cannon
PCC Treasurer
Contact an officer
Church accessibility
As a Mission Community we are very aware that our ancient buildings are not always the most accessible. Where possible we have made changes to make them more user-friendly but there are some limitations that we are not able to work round.
Open daily 9 AM - 5 PM
Very limited parking
Toilet (services only)
Churchyard wheelchair friendly but steep
Wheelchair friendly church
No hearing loop
Church features
All of our churches are unique many date back many hundreds of years. Each building tells a story and highlighted below are some of the features that are especially noteworthy.
Children's area
Wildlife friendly churchyard
Pugin designed window
1897 lychgate dedicated to "Victoria the Good"
16thC oak eagle lectern
Bishop Patteson memorial plaque and carving
History
Alfington Church (a Grade 2 listed building) started life as a Chapel of Ease to Ottery. It was built in 1849 by Sir John Taylor Coleridge and designed by his friend William Butterfield. Butterfield was busy restoring Ottery St Mary church at the time and the family also commissioned a parsonage and school house in Alfington. A churchyard was added to the church in 1878 and then Alfington became a parish in its own right in 1882. A consecration service to move it from being a Chapel of Ease to a full parish church was held on 29th September 1882 by the then Bishop of Exeter, Frederick Temple.
The church is a plain building, always intended to be a temporary one, made of roughly rendered brick with small lancet style windows. It can seat 150 people which must always have been optimistic given the size of the village.
The church has connections far beyond the village however as Bishop John Coleridge Patteson, the first Bishop of Melanesia was curate here. There is a fine memorial to him by Butterfield at the West end of the church as well as a wooden plaque presented by the people of the Solomon Islands to the church depicting the martyrdom of the Bishop.
For a more detailed history please visit the Historic England page.
