St Andrew's Church, South Huish

St Andrew's Church, South Huish is a ruined medieval parish church in the South Hams district of Devon, England. Roofless and open to the sky, it is a Grade II* listed building and is looked after by the Friends of Friendless Churches.

What is St Andrew's Church in South Huish?

The building is the remains of the old parish church of South Huish, a rural parish near the coast of south Devon. Today only the shell survives: the walls of the nave and chancel and the west tower stand without a roof. In the National Heritage List for England the ruins are recorded at Grade II*, a category reserved for particularly important buildings of more than special interest.

How old is the church?

The nave and chancel date from the 13th century. The west tower was added in the early 15th century. For several hundred years the church served the local farming community, before the population around it shifted and the parish centre of gravity moved elsewhere.

Why was it abandoned?

In 1866 the vicar of West Alvington, to whose parish the chapelry belonged, concluded that the church was not worth restoring. A popular local story blames a windowpane that blew in during a service, but other sources give a practical reason: the congregation was dwindling as people settled closer to Galmpton. A replacement church, Holy Trinity, was built in Galmpton in 1869. Some sources give a slightly different year for the decision, so treat the exact date with care.

What happened to the fittings?

When the church was given up, many of its furnishings were moved to other places:

• the bells and the font went to Holy Trinity in Galmpton;
• the medieval screen was taken to Bowringsleigh House;
• the arcade of the south aisle was reused at Dodbrooke church;
• the stoup went to Holy Trinity in Salcombe;
• fragments of two 15th-century alabaster reredoses, found in 1857, are now at Galmpton.

Stripped of its fittings and roof, the building was left to decay for almost a century.

Who looks after it today?

The Friends of Friendless Churches, a charity that rescues historic places of worship at risk, took on the ruin in 1976 under a 999-year lease starting on 1 January 1976. The ground remains consecrated, and an annual service is held among the walls each summer. Access to the ruins is open, so you can walk around the standing walls and the tower.

Frequently asked questions

Is St Andrew's Church in South Huish still in use? Not as a regular parish church. It is a consecrated ruin, though a service is held there once a year in summer.

Can I go inside? The Friends of Friendless Churches list the ruins as open for access, so visitors can explore the site.

Where are the church's old bells and font? They were moved to Holy Trinity Church in Galmpton, which replaced St Andrew's in 1869.

Who owns the ruin? It is held by the Friends of Friendless Churches on a long lease running from 1976.

Why visit?

South Huish offers a quiet, atmospheric stop for anyone interested in medieval architecture, church history or the countryside of the South Hams. The contrast between this roofless shell and the Victorian church that replaced it in nearby Galmpton tells a clear story of how rural communities changed in the 19th century.