Welcome to Colaton Raleigh church
Colaton Raleigh is a village in the lower Otter Valley in Devon and has a population of approximately 450 people. In addition to the church, the village includes a general store, a pub and a well patronised village hall just next door. The church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, is a Grade 2* listed building dating from the 13th century with some special decorative plaster work (scraffito). The church can hold about 110 people, and is usually full for the annual Carol Service as well as occasional weddings and funerals. Normal services are held fortnightly. The congregation are a friendly faithful group of new and old villagers who are welcoming to all. Coffee, tea and biscuits are served after the services which also provides a much enjoyed social element to the spiritual life of the village. There are currently 19 people on the Electoral Roll. The Church has recently benefited from work to improve the fabric of the building and organ, including new paths to enable safe access for all and a fully accessible toilet.
Location and information
Address
Church of St John the Baptist
Church Road
Colaton Raleigh
EX10 0LL
Nearest defibrillator
What3words
extensive.internet.flexiblyLatitude / longitude
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.
Vacant
Churchwarden
Sue Tyrrell
PCC Secretary
Brian Turnbull
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
Limited parking
Toilet (services only)
Churchyard wheelchair friendly
Church wheelchair friendly
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.
Wildlife friendly churchyard
Rare example of sgraffito
Ancient font
History
Some parts of the nave and the font of the church of St John the Baptist date back as far as the late 12th C with a tower dating from the late 15th C. However most of the rest of the church was extensively restored in 1875.
The stone used in building the early church was possibly from Beer and when the church was rebuilt under the direction of the Exeter based architect R M Fulford, stone from Ladram Bay was used.
Two of the six bells in the tower are C15. The others were added in 1897-98.
A vestry was added to the south west corner in 1896. An organ was later installed in the small south transept in memory of parishioners lost in WW1.
A significant feature of the interior is the sgraffito wall decoration dating from the 1875 restoration. Sgraffito plastering is self-coloured, being two or three coats of different coloured plaster laid over each other. The upper layers are then cut away to the required depth to reveal the different colours of the design. Sgraffito, literally “scratched”, has been used for wall decoration in Europe since classical times, and played a significant role during the Italian Renaissance. Whilst it enjoyed a revival in Europe in the late C19, examples in Britain remain very rare, and this church is considered to be of importance. The scheme, which survives virtually intact, covers most of the interior walls with religious designs as well as texts over the main arches.
For a more detailed history please visit the Historic England page.
