Welcome to Knowstone Parish
Knowstone Parish is situated in North Devon, halfway between the Mid Devon town of Tiverton and the North Devon town of South Molton - (Map).
It consists of three main settlements – those being Knowstone, East Knowstone and Roachill. In addition to these settlements there are many outlying houses and farms.
Once boasting a post office, bakery, school, village shop, methodist chapel, vicarage, blacksmiths and wheelwrights the parish is now just hanging on to its quaint parish church – St. Peters (picture left), its well used village hall and of course the faithful 'local' - The Masons Arms which was originally erected by the builders of the church, hence its name.
The Parish currently has a population of 217.
The Parish boasts the beautiful and unspoilt Haresdown and Knowstone Moors. These moors are renowned for their Culm grassland which form part of the largest area of this type of grassland in the world. Hence their status as a site of special scientific interest. Haresdown moors is owned by the Parish and Knowstone moors by Devon Wildlife Trust. These moors have provided grazing for land owners for many generations and these 'rights' still exist today. The highest point of the moors is at Haresdown (850ft) and the lowest point at Ford Farm (450ft).
In 1984 the moors were cut in half by the North Devon Link road (A361). An old marker stone at Beaples Moor had to be moved for the construction of the road.
A new stone has been placed at Knowstone Moor Cross to mark the millenium (picture above). It is made from Dartmoor granite and was once used as a naval mooring stone in the Plymouth Sound.
Knowstone is steeped with history and is a beautiful place to visit for a picnic or to walk across the unspoilt moorland and enjoy the wildlife.