Kilkhampton

Kilkhampton is a village in northeast Cornwall, located about four miles north of Bude. The village has a Saxon heritage and a strong sense of history, shaped by its long association with the Grenville family, who held the local manor at Stowe for centuries. The area is agricultural, with a landscape of farmland and hedgerows, and the village retains a traditional character with stone cottages, a parish church, and local amenities. It has a sense of being slightly removed from the main tourist routes, functioning as a working rural community.

History: Kilkhampton was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chilchetone, when the local manor was held by the Norman Ruald Adobed. The name is thought to derive from the bridge and Ruald. The manor passed to the Grenville family around 1088, and they resided at the nearby Stowe estate for many generations, frequently serving as sheriffs. The parish church, St James the Great, dates from the 12th century and features a Norman south doorway and a tall Perpendicular tower containing eight bells. The church is notable for its extensive set of 16th-century benches and a monument to Sir Bevill Grenville, erected in 1711. Kilkhampton was formerly a market town and a center for the leather industry, with tanning, bootmaking, and saddlery being major trades. The village declined after the growth of nearby Bude and Holsworthy, but it remains a functioning community with a strong village spirit. The remains of a late Norman motte-and-bailey castle, Penstowe Castle, are located nearby.