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| Mortehoe | |
|---|---|
 Mortehoe | |
| Population | 1,637 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Woolacombe |
| Postcode district | EX34 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Mortehoe (/ˈmɔːrthoʊ/) is a village and formermanor on the north coast ofDevon, England. It lies 10 miles north-west ofBarnstaple, nearWoolacombe andLee Bay, and is sited in a valley within the hilly sand-dune-like land behindMorte Point, almost directly above Woolacombe. The parish population at the2011 census was 1,637.[1]
Mortehoe can trace its origins back to theDomesday Book of 1086 and beyond. Always a farming community, in former years it was a base forsmugglers andwreckers. Since the coming of the railway in the 19th century, notably theIlfracombe Branch Line, Mortehoe became much more dependent on tourism, with numerouscamp sites andholiday camps in the vicinity.
Mortehoe, like most of the surrounding area, is built on a band ofDevonianSlates,Sandstones andIgneous rocks such as Basalt.[2] This gives the area a rugged and rocky quality which is typical of North Devon.
Mortehoe may be reached by road from two directions: either a steep, narrow lane (20% Gradient) that follows the hilly coast north fromWoolacombe; or else a twisty, narrow road from the east. There are regular bus services from Woolacombe andIlfracombe.
The popularity of this remote corner of Devon was boosted by the coming of the railway in 1874. However,Mortehoe station was nearly two miles inland from the village, so Mortehoe was rather less affected by the additional population than its now much larger neighbour, Woolacombe. TheIlfracombe Branch Line railway closed in 1970.
The Mortehoe Heritage Centre, based in the Cart Linhay building. On the upper floor is a museum of the history of the most north-westerly tip ofNorth Devon. The museum has displays about the local farming communities, the railway, and the numerousshipwrecks that occurred off the treacherous rocks around the nearby coast. The rebuilding of the heritage site was managed by surveyor, and later landlord, Douglas Victor Watkins.
Bull Point Lighthouse is a short walk along theSouth West Coast Path from the centre of the village, andMorte Point is also easily accessible.
The village contains the historic church ofSt Mary's, Morthoe which dates back toNorman times, but has been added to in later years. The bell tower, carvedpews and the tomb of Sir William de Tracy are ofmedieval origin. The later parts of the building date back to the 14th and 16th centuries.[3]
