Cheriton Fitzpaine reveals its secrets

Architect David Young visits Cheriton Fitzpaine in Red Devon (red soil). The heart of the village has many thatched cottages and is known for the longest thatched house in England, the Old School House dating back to 1642. Cheriton means Church Town and indicates the existence of a church before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Fitzpaines held the estate in the 13th century. St Matthew is a 15th century gothic church with arcades made of Beer Stone, limestone from East Devon.

In the 20th century Mr Breyley was the saddler and the sign is shown. As a leather craftsman he would have made saddles and other leather goods. The coat of arms in the church dates to 1665 and the Moores of Upcott linked to Henry III. By the early 15th century Upcott House belonged to a lawyer, Nicholas Radford, who was murdered in 1455 by Sir Thomas Courtenay, son of the 5th Earl of Devon of Tiverton Castle after a dynastic dispute with Sir William Bonville of Shute during the War of the Roses. Cheriton Fitzpaine lies near to the main road from Tiverton to Crediton.