| Dunkeswell | |
|---|---|
 The gatehouse at Dunkeswell Abbey | |
  Dunkeswell Location withinDevon | |
| Population | 1,361 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST1407 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HONITON |
| Postcode district | EX14 |
| Dialling code | 01404 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°51′47″N3°13′16″W / 50.863°N 3.221°W /50.863; -3.221 | |
Dunkeswell is a village andcivil parish inEast Devon,England, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the town ofHoniton. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,553,[1] reducing to 1,361 at the2011 Census.[2] There is anelectoral ward with the same name whose population at the above census was 2,000.[3] The parish is surrounded, clockwise from the north, by the parishes ofHemyock,Luppitt,Combe Raleigh,Awliscombe,Broadhembury andSheldon.[4]
Dunkeswell is notable for having a busy small airfield, nowDunkeswell Aerodrome which was initially established as an American Navy air base duringWorld War II, and continues to offer civil flight services to this day.
The church, restored in 1868 from an older foundation, is of interest for itsNorman font.
Dunkeswell Eco Business Park, located near the aerodrome, was constructed to provide environmentally-friendly business space forstart-up businesses, businesses who are considered to be at a disadvantage such as those run by younger owners or women, and businesses that have outgrown existing premises.[5]
Dunkeswell was the birthplace of theCanadian clergymanHenry Scadding.
The highest recorded temperature since 1979 was 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) on 12 August 2022 and the lowest was −11.8 °C (10.8 °F) on 13 January 1987.[6]
| Climate data for Dunkeswell Aerodrome 252m amsl (1991–2020) (extremes 1979–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 26.5 (79.7) | 29.1 (84.4) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.6 (88.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 24.1 (75.4) | 16.6 (61.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 31.6 (88.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.0 (44.6) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.5 (49.1) | 12.2 (54.0) | 15.3 (59.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 19.9 (67.8) | 19.6 (67.3) | 17.3 (63.1) | 13.4 (56.1) | 9.9 (49.8) | 7.6 (45.7) | 13.1 (55.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 4.6 (40.3) | 6.2 (43.2) | 8.3 (46.9) | 11.2 (52.2) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.8 (60.4) | 15.7 (60.3) | 13.6 (56.5) | 10.5 (50.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 5.1 (41.2) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 1.9 (35.4) | 2.9 (37.2) | 4.4 (39.9) | 7.0 (44.6) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.8 (53.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 9.9 (49.8) | 7.6 (45.7) | 4.7 (40.5) | 2.6 (36.7) | 6.4 (43.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.8 (10.8) | −10.5 (13.1) | −7.5 (18.5) | −3.8 (25.2) | −0.9 (30.4) | 1.9 (35.4) | 4.2 (39.6) | 4.9 (40.8) | 1.8 (35.2) | −2.2 (28.0) | −5.7 (21.7) | −9.2 (15.4) | −11.8 (10.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 112.2 (4.42) | 86.1 (3.39) | 77.7 (3.06) | 75.5 (2.97) | 64.4 (2.54) | 72.8 (2.87) | 67.4 (2.65) | 86.4 (3.40) | 78.4 (3.09) | 119.3 (4.70) | 127.8 (5.03) | 119.5 (4.70) | 1,087.5 (42.81) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 15.8 | 13.0 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 10.5 | 9.8 | 10.5 | 11.7 | 10.9 | 14.7 | 15.6 | 16.0 | 151.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 57.2 | 76.7 | 115.0 | 169.8 | 196.2 | 209.1 | 198.9 | 181.6 | 149.6 | 106.0 | 69.4 | 57.9 | 1,587.4 |
| Source 1: Met Office[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[8] | |||||||||||||
The abbey is 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the village. The abbey was founded in 1201 byWilliam Briwere as aCistercian monastery and offshoot ofForde Abbey. The founder granted much property within Devon to the abbey. Around two years before his death in 1226, he entered the community and was eventually buried in front of the high altar of the abbey church.
Following theDissolution of the Monasteries the abbey was closed in 1539 and granted toJohn Russell, 1st Baron Russell (1485–1555), later1st Earl of Bedford, and was mostly demolished quickly, though a section remained in domestic use until the 19th century. In 1842, a parish church was built over part of the site. Some surviving fragments of monastery include the partial end wall of the cellarer's range and parts of a gatehouse. Some carved fragments survive within Holy Trinity Church which was built here in 1842 in Early English style.[9]
Media related toDunkeswell at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
