nicholas chapel ilfacombe devon

navigate by keyword : 1321 1540 1835 1871 1962 ages also around back built ceased chapel chapelnbetween children country dating davey devon dissolved family guide harbour harbournfrom henry iconic ilfacombe ilfracombe interest john keeper landmark laundry light lighthouse lived living maintained middle monasteries much neglected nicholas oldest overlooking people place raising reading regarded remained restored room rotarians said shipping special still then today town townnthe used viii working worship holidays hiking coastalpath coast coastalwalk rocks

St Nicholas chapel. Ilfacombe , Devon, Uk

Dating back to 1321 the chapel was built as a place _description.value;of worship for the people of Ilfracombe living and working around the harbour. From the middle ages the chapel maintained a light to guide shipping into the harbour. It is still a working lighthouse today and is said to be the oldest in the country. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1540 St Nicholas ceased to be a chapel. Between 1835 and 1871 a Mr John Davey lived in the chapel as lighthouse keeper raising a family of 14 children. The chapel was also used as a reading room and a laundry. Since then it remained much neglected until 1962 when it was restored by the Rotarians of the town. The chapel is today regarded as a special place of interest within the town and is an iconic landmark overlooking the harbour.