Kenton, Devon

Kenton
Kenton is located in Devon
Kenton
Kenton
Location within Devon
Population1,042 (2021)
Civil parish
  • Kenton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEXETER
Postcode districtEX6
Dialling code01626
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°38′N 3°28′W / 50.64°N 3.47°W / 50.64; -3.47

Kenton is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district, near Exeter, the county town of Devon, England. It has one restaurant, a primary school, a mediaeval church and is near Powderham Castle. In 2021 the parish had a population of 1042.

The centre of the village was rebuilt in brick immediately after a fire on 16 April 1856 which destroyed 24 dwellings.[1][2]

The 14th-century All Saints Church is built of red sandstone with arcades of Beer stone. John Betjeman judged it to be "the full-aisled Devon plan at its best", with a "handsome" tower, and praised the rood screen, which retains ancient colour, and the figure-paintings. The pulpit is medieval; the reredos is by Charles Eamer Kempe.[3]

Exeter's first woman councillor, Edith Splatt, was born here.[4]

The tower clock, installed in 1900, chimes on the hours and the quarters throughout the day and night; in 2021 it was muffled when Teignbridge Council determined that it exceeded legally permitted noise levels.[5] The adjacent almshouses were built in 1875.[1]

  1. ^ a b Bond, Ann (2012). "The 'Great Fire' of Kenton and the Victorian Rebuilding: the making of a distinctive architectural heritage". Aspects of Devon History. Devon History Society. pp. 265–77. ISBN 978-0-903766-02-9.
  2. ^ "Kenton history and heritage". Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ^ Betjeman, John, ed. (1968). Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches; the South. London: Collins. p. 162.
  4. ^ "Splatt, Miss Edith | Devon History Society". Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Kenton church clock muffled after noise complaint". BBC News. 12 June 2021.