The first thing anyone will tell you about Ermington is that it is the village where the church has a crooked spire. Built in the 14th century with the spire added in the 15th century, the legend is that the spire of St Peter and St Paul bowed down to welcome a beautiful bride on her wedding day. The truth may be more mundane. Damp timbers used in construction probably distorted the structure as they dried out. Still, who doesn’t love a good story and this one inspired the naming of the local pub – The Crooked Spire – right in the heart of this village.
There has been a village here since Saxon times, and Ermington merited a mention in the Domesday Book. Next to the church is an ancient Holy Well, restored at the turn of the century. A new housing development, The Spires which was built in 2013 encouraged more families back to the village which has pre-school provision and a primary which is consistently rated as outstanding by Ofsted.
Like many villages, Ermington was without a village store for many years but local people decided to do something about it and got together to open Ermington Store and More – a shop, café and community space for events all supported by volunteers.
CHECKLIST
There’s a village store, pub and a couple of lovely places to eat. Bigger facilities are within an easy drive to surrounding towns such as Ivybridge.
There’s a primary school and a pre-school, a playground, a playing field, and even a skatepark, so Ermington is great for young families. Close to the A38 Devon Expressway and links to Exeter to the north and Plymouth to the south.
LOCALS LOVE
Ermington is lucky that Violet Pinwill lived in the village. She, and her sisters, were famed Victorian wood carvers who carried out work across the Westcountry. It was unusual, to say the least, for women to become woodcarvers during Violet’s era. Her first woodcarving, at St Peter and St Paul Church, was done when she was only 17 years old. Her final work is a Second World War memorial plaque, carved when she was 71. There is work of hers in more than 300 churches in Devon and Cornwall, some of the finest is to be found here.
Local websites:
www.ermingtonparish.com