In Hennock, church architecture and village history meet distinctive features of the landscape: an old holloway, a beacon site and nearby reservoirs. The village lies in Dartmoor National Park on the south side of the Teign Valley.
Location and village character
Hennock stretches along the contour line at around 600 feet above sea level, forming a band approximately one kilometre long. Almost every house has a view across the valley below. The hillside location and elongated shape give the village a distinct character, without reducing its appeal to a single viewpoint.
Church and village history
The Church of St Mary is a 15th-century parish church, restored in 1875. Inside are a late-Romanesque limestone font, a Perpendicular-period rood screen and surviving medieval stained glass. The details point to different medieval influences: the font is late Romanesque, while the rood screen belongs to a later stylistic period.
Hennock Village Hall also has a layered history. The Grade II listed building is thought to have been built as a barn in the 13th century and used by the White Canons of Torre Abbey to store tithes. After the First World War, returning local soldiers acquired the hall and converted it into a community hall.
The area’s industrial history includes Great Rock Mine. It was the last working mine in the Hennock area and supplied micaceous haematite, which was used as an ingredient in anti-rust paint. Alongside the history of its buildings, the area’s story therefore includes mining and a specific local mineral resource.
Trails and landscape features
The description of the Blue Bell Walk, last updated in 2014, starts in the centre of Hennock near the Village Hall and follows Bell Lane and Beadon Lane to Beadon Bottom. A description of the walk through Shaptor Woods, also last updated in 2014, starts at Five Lanes, follows Little John's Walk and an entrance into the woods, then returns to Five Lanes using the waymarkers. The routes therefore differ: the Blue Bell Walk leads to Beadon Bottom, while the Shaptor Woods circular walk returns to its starting point. Check the route before setting out.
Easy Lane is an old holloway with a diverse range of plant life. From the Five Lanes junction, Beacon Lane leads to a beacon site above Hennock. It lies at around 815 feet above sea level, while Hennock itself is at around 600 feet. The beacon site is therefore approximately 215 feet higher than the village.
Nearby, trails away from paved roads, footbridges and a network of walking paths connect Tottiford Reservoir with Trenchford Reservoir. The two reservoirs can be walked around together on public paths; there are also car parks, picnic areas and many woodland paths. Nearby scenic reservoirs also include Kennick Reservoir and Tottiford Reservoir.
Discover more destinations: Berrynarbor, Hemyock, Chapelton, Moretonhampstead, Dartmouth, Copplestone, East Putford, Sparkwell.
For the main travel overview: Devon.
