Churches in the Parish
There are three churches serving our parish and all are part of the Otter Vale Mission Community.
St Luke’s, Newton Poppleford
In the centre of Newton Poppleford is the church of St Luke’s, conveniently adjacent to our FREE car park! There is worship at St Luke’s Church every Sunday at 9.30am and once a month at 8am. Additionally there are a number of church groups meeting in the parish. Further information can be found in the Parish magazine or on the Otter Vale Mission Community website.
St. Gregory the Great, Harpford
The ancient parish of Harpford has the pretty church of St Gregory the Great, and was granted by Bishop Henry Marshall to the Abbey of St Michel in Normandy in 1205. The tower dates to the 15th century and has undergone various ‘conservation and restoration’ works over the centuries, not all of which were beneficial. Harpford church has a service every Sunday using the Book of Common Prayer. Times alternate week by week between 6.30pm on 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month and 11am on the 2nd and 4th. This pattern may change close to Christmas and Easter.
St. Gregory the Great, Venn Ottery
In Venn Ottery we have yet another church of St Gregory the Great. This is one of the older churches in Devon, with the Saxon church tower dating back to about 1095. The tower is built of local red stone, and the original nave had a thatched roof, although today it is slated following a disastrous fire in the 18th century.
The top of the tower was found to be deteriorating badly, but extensive renovation of the stonework in 2005 has ensured its stability for the time being. The timber floor was also in very poor condition and in 2004 had to be renewed, entailing the temporary removal of the ancient carved benches for which the church had previously been noted.
Occasional services such as Harvest and Christmas are held at St Gregory’s to complement the more regular worship at Tipton St John and other churches in the Otter Vale.