Tipton St John – a vibrant village

East Devon has some delightful villages to explore, right across the area.

The vibrant community of Tipton St John nestles either side of the River Otter and is surrounded by the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It has many of the attributes of a modern village with a primary school, church, garage, shop and pub, as well as several sports clubs including football and cricket.

Although the village has a long history, and is included in the Doomsday Book, in more recent times, its facilities included a railway station.

Opened in 1874, it was originally known as Tipton but in Mike Oakley’s book, Devon Railway Stations, it said St Johns was added to the name in 1881, to distinguish it from Tipton in Staffordshire.

Initially, it was a passing point for trains on the Sidmouth Railway but it became a junction station when the line opened to Budleigh Salterton in 1897, which extended to Exmouth in 1903.

Tipton St Johns was an important part of the branch line network, with express trains from London Waterloo either splitting or linking for services to Exmouth and Sidmouth.

All services had ceased by 1967 as part of the restructuring of the railway network but some evidence of its existence still remains, with the station building on the site, which is now a private house and some other tell-tale signs of a railway having run through the village in a bygone age.

Nearby the old station is the Jubilee Clock which was put in place in 2002, to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The traditionally-made structure stands proud at the entrance to the playing fields, at the heart of the village.

Other points of interest include the Golden Lion pub and the church of St John the Evengelist, so why not take a little time to explore what Tipton St John has to offer and enjoy some refreshments as part of your visit.

For more East Devon Resident features, click here.