Council Offices,
Crediton Town Council,
Market Street,
Crediton,
EX17 2BN

Tel: 01363 773717

The Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and the mother of Him who hung thereon, usually shortened just to Holy Cross, stands at the east end of Crediton. As well as having one of the longest church names in England, it also among the oldest buildings in the town and has played an important part in the lives of its people for centuries.

The building Some parts date from the 12th and 13th centuries but most of the present day structure was rebuilt in the 15th century in warm red volcanic stone from nearby quarries. It is cruciform, being 228 feet long with a central tower 100 feet high.

The Governors Since 1547, when parishioners purchased the church and various lands and tithes from Henry V111 for £200, Holy Cross has been owned by twelve Governors. They still meet today in a splendid room with two-foot wide oak plank flooring located on the top floor of the chapter house. The room contains many interesting items including Cromwellian artefacts and a few silver coins remaining from a hoard found in 1896.

The first cathedral The current building is the fourth on the site. In 739 a monastery was founded at Crediton, probably because of the connection with St. Boniface who was born in or near to Crediton around 680. In 909 when the Diocese of Sherborne was divided, Crediton was the site of Devon’s first cathedral which it remained until 1050 when the see was moved to Exeter.

The search for the first cathedral During the summer of 2007 a ground-penetrating radar survey, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, searched in and around the church for traces of the Saxon cathedral. The results suggest that today’s structure overlies this earlier building. An exhibition about the history of Holy Cross is located in the north choir aisle.

The monuments Holy Cross houses several monuments of national importance, the most notable and eye-catching being the Buller memorial on the west flank of the tower. It also has some splendid Victorian stained glass windows.

The organ The north transept houses the Harrison and Harrison organ originally installed in 1921 as a memorial to those men of Crediton who died in World War I. The organ was restored in 2000-2001 and is now one of the best of its type in the West Country.

The bells In late 2004 a new peal of ten bells was installed in the tower and these were augmented to twelve in January 2007. These bells, all cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, now make up one of the finest peals of twelve bells in the world and are rung for services, weddings and other important local and national events.