Lustleigh - Home

The village of Lustleigh lies on the Eastern fringe of Dartmoor, within the boundaries of the Dartmoor National Park and has a current population of around 620 people. The village is one of the most attractive in Devon and well worth a visit. Why not come to our service on Sunday, have a walk and finish off with cream tea at the Primrose Tea Rooms?

There are two places of worship in the village, the Parish Church and the small granite-built Baptist Church which was constructed in the middle of the 19th Century.

Records have established that a group of dissenting protestant Christians had been meeting in the village since the early part of the 19th Century. The purchase of a piece of land (for the princely sum of 5 pounds and 5 shillings!) to the South of the village centre (on land known as Lower Barley Park) for the construction of the Chapel was agreed in May, 1853. Who built it remains unclear although it may well have been a do-it-yourself build by members. The Chapel garden contains the grave-stones of many of those courageous early dissenters.

Services of worship have been held continuously over the subsequent 150 years to the present day and there is an active congregation that meets at 10.30am every Sunday. The only exception has been the closure of the building for a period of 22 months for extensive renovation from early 2005 to the memorable reopening on 24th December, 2006, (standing room only!).

The recent renovation work has included modernisation of the interior, treatment for damp and preparing the Church for the needs of the 21st Century. With the new facilities it is anticipated that additional use will be made of the building, with additional services and meetings to suit the needs of the local community.

The congregation is small and friendly with a wide age range (6 to over 80!). You would find a very warm welcome awaiting you at the Sunday services at 10.30am every Sunday. Prayer meetings are held at 11am on the first and third Fridays of each month. Please visit the events page for more details.