405:, who was second in command to Lord Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), bought Colwell Wood in 1798 for £1,210. In 1805 he gave it to his daughter Mary, and shortly afterwards the Cottage, the only building present in the woods, was built. The wood was a sound investment, for timber fetched high prices, but it had also acquired a new value. Whereas natural woodland had traditionally been viewed with trepidation, full of danger and mystery, the Romantic age saw it with new eyes. For those who had leisure, a ramble in the woods was now something to be relished, and the steep wooded dells of Offwell had already won the heart of the parish's most famous son, Edward Copleston, Bishop of Llandaff, who in 1825 wrote to a friend:
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Thereafter, the dual functions of
Colwell Wood can be traced more readily. It firstly remained an asset due to its timber and cover for breeding game birds, and secondly it was a tourist retreat. In 1985 Colwell Wood was acquired by its current owner who has funded research into its history, restored
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The medieval church of St Mary has a chancel arch, one chancel window and a south doorway which date from c. 1200. There are a west tower, a north aisle and a north chapel. Features of interest include the early 18th-century pulpit and reader's desk, the Lord's prayer and creed mural painting, and
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The parish also contains
Colwell Wood, a small estate, lying to the west of the village. There is only one property situated there, a seemingly insignificant cottage known as Colwell Wood Cottage. This property and the land around it, have links with some of the most powerful landed families in
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and so the church was the focus of authority. This authority was wielded not only by its rectors, who varied greatly in their commitment to the parish, but also by its landowners who served as churchwardens, and sometimes as overseers of the poor, by rotation.
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Natural history is the food of my vacation hours, and I shall take your precious volume with me when I next go to saunter and ramble in my
Offwell woods. It would do my heart good to have you one day to join me in those rambles over the scenes of my infancy
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Offwell has a primary school and a village hall. There are several business located along the A35 as it passes through the parish, including a fuel garage, a deli, and a garden centre.
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Cottage, and striven to preserve its tranquillity and natural environment.
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Because of the complexities of its medieval past, Offwell had no
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As a small estate
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339:. Offwell can be accessed by the nearby
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482:. Retrieved
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722:Marsh Green
438:South Devon
434:Pevsner, N.
314: /
889:Categories
869:Wilmington
824:Southleigh
819:Smallridge
747:Northleigh
737:Nether Exe
712:Kilmington
632:Broadclyst
627:Branscombe
602:Allercombe
569:East Devon
484:21 January
421:References
299:50°47′28″N
142:South West
106:East Devon
849:West Hill
829:Stockland
777:Rockbeare
717:Lympstone
652:Bulverton
642:Buckerell
607:Axminster
597:Alfington
397:Southcott
302:3°08′35″W
236:Ambulance
176:Post town
874:Woodbury
859:Whitford
813:Sidmouth
757:Otterton
682:Combpyne
672:Colyford
341:A35 road
98:District
864:Whimple
807:Sidford
802:Sidbury
782:Rousdon
752:Offwell
732:Musbury
727:Membury
707:Honiton
702:Feniton
692:Exmouth
687:Dalwood
677:Colyton
577:England
436:(1952)
337:Honiton
329:Offwell
283:England
180:HONITON
158:England
152:Country
89:Offwell
63:Offwell
27:Offwell
854:Weston
839:Uplyme
834:Street
792:Seaton
767:Pinhay
697:Farway
612:Beacon
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212:Police
134:Region
797:Shute
573:Devon
333:Devon
288:Devon
202:01404
124:Devon
71:Devon
844:Ware
622:Bowd
617:Beer
509:ISBN
486:2017
224:Fire
191:EX14
411:...
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278:UK
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