Take some time to explore Kilmington
Kilmington. Ref edr 18 18TI 2402. Picture: Terry Ife - Credit: Archant
East Devon has many picturesque settings, so why not take some time to explore some of its villages.
Kilmington. Ref edr 18 18TI 2381. Picture: Terry Ife - Credit: Archant
Kilmington straddles the A35 near Axminster but the majority of the village nestles on the south western side of the trunk road.
Despite the proximity of the busy arterial route, the village offers a peaceful setting for a range of activities.
According to the village website, the parish of Kilmington occupies around 1,760 acres and there are around 400 properties within the village.
One unusual feature is its paperback library, which occupies the former phones box. Residents are invited to donate books or CDs and to make use of this unusual facility in a quintessentially English scene of a red phone box in a village setting.
Kilmington. Ref edr 18 18TI 2398. Picture: Terry Ife - Credit: Archant
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A former winner of the Best Kept Village Award in a county-wide competition organised by the Council for the Preservation of Rural England, Kilmington was made up of many small farms in 1900, with Kelly’s Directory saying the area produced good crops of wheat, barley, roots and pasture land for dairy farms.
In its entry in Devon, by W G Hoskins, it says the village ‘is chiefly interesting for Coryton, a handsome house built of brick with Portland stone dressings in 1754-56 by Benedictus Marwood Tucker, sheriff of Devon in 1763’.
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The entry goes on say that St Giles’ Church was rebuilt in 1862, with the exception of the tower, and ‘contains nothing of note except a large marble monument to Thomas Southcott, of Dulhayes, erected in 1735’.
Often associated with traditional village life across England, the cricket field in Kilmington is set in the heart of the village.
Kilmington. Ref edr 18 18TI 2383. Picture: Terry Ife - Credit: Archant
The village website hosts an edition of A Story of Kilmington in Devon in the Twentieth Century, by Ben Cudmore, which was first written to mark the Centenary of Parish Councils.
Some of the history of the cricket field is recorded within its pages and said that it started out on a rather rough field, on which some friendly matches were played, but businessman Arthur Hitchcock bought the land on which the recreation field is located.
It said: “At his death, the playing field and pavilion were left to the Devonshire Branch of the Playing Fields Association for the benefit of the Parishioners of the Parish of Kilmington.”
There have been various improvements made over the years and the village still maintains a competitive cricket team.
Kilmington. Ref edr 18 18TI 2373. Picture: Terry Ife - Credit: Archant
The village has a vibrant community, with a well-maintained village hall, a successful school, two pubs and the well-established Millers farm shop.
Travelling from A to B, it is often easy to miss out on the places in between, but if you are looking to explore east Devon, why not take the time to stop off at Kilmington, and enjoy the peace and tranquillity that the village has to offer.
Kilmington. Ref edr 18 18TI 2371. Picture: Terry Ife - Credit: Archant
