Cheriton Fitzpaine is a village in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, located 4 miles (7 km) north-east of Crediton. The population of the parish in the 2011 Census was 556. The village is noted for its historic buildings, including the old Primary School, the longest

thatched Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

house in England. Cheriton Fitzpaine is a major part of the electoral ward Way, with a 2011 population of 1,603.

Local amenities

Cheriton Fitzpaine has two

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

: The Half Moon Inn, and The Ring of Bells, which have been serving the village for more than 150 years, and are mentioned in the directories of Kelly 1893 and Whites of 1850. Jacks Acre is a large field maintained by the parish council, open to public use for leisure activities, such as the annual

Wassail Wassail (, , most likely from Old Norse ''"ves heill"'') is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation ei ...

and sports activities. The parish council also maintains an under-elevens playground, situated just off the main street. Thorne's Farm Shop is a local farm shop placed on the outskirts, which serves local produce and a

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

Historic buildings

Cheriton Fitzpaine features numerous historic buildings, with many homes originating as early as the fifteenth century. The original primary school building dates back to 1642 and is the oldest

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often rep ...

in England, its former use is believed to have been as the church house. In 1875 a school board was formed and the school started, with the local attendance officer as clerk of the board.Cheriton Fitzpaine Historical Overview
at ancestry.com. The addition of the school house to the teaching space in 1983 accommodated growing numbers, as well as providing space for an outdoor swimming pool. The school campaigned for a new building, beginning with a pupil letter-writing exercise in 1998, where students wrote to

Downing Street Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk f ...

and received a reply, which can be read on the school's website.Cheriton Fitzpaine Primary and Pre School website
/ref> Work began on the new school from September 2009 until October 2010, officially opening in November 2010. Upcott, the home of fifteenth-century lawyer Nicholas Radford, who was murdered there by men of the

Earl of Devon Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenay family. It is not to be co ...

. Other notable buildings include the Church of St Matthew, a Gothic-style

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

church, and an almshouse which dates from 1594.

Sports

The village had its own football club and a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

club. The Cheriton Fitzpaine Cricket Club previously held the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for the world's longest cricket marathon at 27 hours 34 minutes on 24–25 June 2006, and was held for 11 months until it was surpassed by Red Row Cricket Club from

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, England in May 2007. The Club plays host to the annual Mid-Devon Twenty 20 Competition, colloquially known by some as the Cheriton Fitzpaine Girt Big Bash.

Notable residents

The writer

Jean Rhys Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a British novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she mainly resided in England, where she was sent for he ...

spent the last years of her life (1960-1979) in the village.

References

External links

Official Website

Cheriton Fitzpaine Cricket Club

Cheriton Fitzpaine Drama Group

Ring of Bells Website
{{authority control Villages in Devon