IChurch · listed 1965Church of St Peter Ad VinculaPhoto: Arpingstone · Public domain
The Pack of Cards Including Courtyard Walls Incorporating Bee Boles on North-West Side · Photo: Jack1956 · CC0AHistory Grade
History of Combe Martin · Historic England
Old homes in Combe Martin: 46% built before 1919
The typical town has 15%: Combe Martin has 3 times the share. Historic England lists 44 buildings inside Combe Martin’s built-up area, 163 for every 10,000 residents. We have photos of 4 of its listed buildings and 1 old view of the town. Combe Martin grades A for history: #8 of 47 in Devon.
Listed buildings
44
163 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
1
exceptional interest
Grade II*
2
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
0
nationally important sites
Homes built before 1919
46%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Combe Martin in 5 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Church of St Peter Ad VinculaGrade I listed
Church of St PeterGrade II* listed
Combe Martin War MemorialGrade II listed+2See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Combe Martin in old photos
1 old photo or postcard, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
c. 1890Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Combe Martin’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park.
Grade IGrade II*
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
44 listed buildings by grade
1 Grade I2 Grade II*41 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.
Grade I
The Grade I listed building in Combe Martin
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
Grade II*
The 2 Grade II* listed buildings in Combe Martin
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed.
II*Walls & gates · listed 1953Pack o' CardsOn the list as The Pack of Cards Including Courtyard Walls Incorporating Bee Boles on North-West SidePhoto: Jack1956 · CC0
II*Church · listed 1965Church of St PeterPhoto: Robin Drayton · CC BY-SA 2.0
What’s protected
The largest group of Combe Martin’s listed buildings is homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas17
Churches, chapels & priories16
Walls, gates & bridges5
Memorials, crosses & tombs3
Public & civic buildings3
17 entries (39%) are houses, terraces and villas. 16 are churches, chapels and priories, including 1 of the 1 Grade I buildings.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
41 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 41 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Allin Headstone and Footstone Approximately 10 Metres South of South East of Corner of South Aisle of Church of St PeterAnonymous Footstone Approximately 5 Metres West of West Tower of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaBawden Headstone with Accompanying Footstone Approximately 3 Metres North of North Porch of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaBerrynarbor War MemorialBrooklandsCharley Chest Tomb Approximately 4 Metres South East of South-East Corner of South Transept of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaCherrie-Dene and Berry DeneCombe Martin War MemorialCourt CottageCutcliffe Headstone Approximately 5 Metres South of Priests Door to Church of St PeterDraper Headstone with Accompanying Footstone Circa 12 Metres South East of South East Corner of Chancel of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaEast Hagginton Farmhouse Including Attached Courtyard Farm BuildingsFootstone on West Side of Path Approximately 10 Metres South of South Porch of Church of St PeterForge Cottage and Number 37 Pit HillForge at Combe Martin Silver MineFormer Dairy to Buzzacott Manor Approximately 12 Metres West of Broad Oaks FarmhouseGroup of 3 Chest Tombs 0.5-3 Metres South East of South East Corner of South Porch of Church of St PeterGroup of 3 Encased Headstones Set in East Wall of Pathway Approximately 10 Metres South of South East Corner of South Porch of Church of St PeterGroup of 4 Headstones Approximately 4-7 Metres South of South Porch of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaGroup of 8 Headstones and 6 Footstones Approximately 1-6 Metres South East of South East Corner of South Porch of Church of St PeterGubb Headstone with Accompanying Footstone Approximately 5 Metres North of North Transept of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaHammondsHammonds FarmhouseK6 Telephone Kiosk, High CrossKidwell Headstone with Accompanying Footstone Approximately 2 Metres South of West Tower of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaLych Gate to Church of St PeterNewberry CottageNewton Chest Tomb Approximately 3 Metres South of South West Corner of South Porch of Church of St Peter Ad VinculaNutt and Irwin Headstones with Accompanying Footstones Approximately 3 Metres South of South East Corner of South Aisle to Church of St PeterOld CourtPackhorse BridgePowder House at Combe Martin Silver MineSaltdeanSeacroftShippon and Stable Approximately 10 Metres North of and on Opposite Side of Road to Hammonds FarmhouseStables,Courtyard Walls and Gate Piers Immediately East of the Old RectoryThe Community CentreThe Manor HallThe Old Rectory2 Headstones Approximately 9 Metres South East of South East Corner of Chancel of Church of St Peter Ad Vincula56, Castle Hill
Conservation areas
2 conservation areas cover 9.7% of Combe Martin
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Combe Martin11 ha
Berrynarbor6 ha
18 hain conservation areas, of 183 ha inside the built-up area.
36 of the 44 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
More than half of Combe Martin’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1987
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1987 · 35
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 1 entry was listed in 1953. 35 came in 1987, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 1 has been added in the last 15 years.
History Grade
Combe Martin grades A for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (48 points, 177 per 10,000 residents)More than 79% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (46%)More than 97% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
46% of Combe Martin’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
42%
Before 1900
5.3%
1900–18
4.4%
1919–29
7.8%
1930s
6.8%
1945–54
6.8%
1955–64
5.5%
1965–72
5.5%
1973–82
5.2%
1983–92
2.2%
1993–99
5.5%
2000–08
1.5%
2009–15
1.9%
2016–25
Combe MartinEngland & Wales
42% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was the 1930s, which added 7.8% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (20 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Towns its size
Combe Martin has the 93rd most Grade I buildings of 1,273 towns its size
Places of 2,000–4,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Combe Martin1
#216 of 1,273for listed buildings per resident (163 per 10,000). Painswick, Sandwich and Chipping Campden lead.
92 have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Combe Martin
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combe Martin | 2,707 | 44 | 1 | A |
| Chambercombe | 1,502 | 1 | 0 | C |
| Ilfracombe | 9,199 | 128 | 2 | A+ |
| Barnstaple | 31,271 | 378 | 6 | A |
| Braunton | 6,610 | 40 | 1 | B+ |
| Chivenor and Wrafton | 1,953 | 6 | 0 | C− |
| Bickington | 2,105 | 6 | 0 | C− |
| Landkey | 2,001 | 14 | 1 | B+ |
In brief
Combe Martin in brief
More of Combe Martin’s homes are old than in most places: 46% were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. In all there are 44 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I, including Church of St Peter Ad Vincula. Per resident, it has more listed heritage than 79% of UK towns.
Only 92 of the 1,273 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings. Its older streets lie in 2 conservation areas. The big year was 1987, when 35 of the 44 went on the list.
Questions about Combe Martin’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Combe Martin?
Historic England lists 44 buildings inside Combe Martin’s built-up area: 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II* and 41 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Combe Martin?
One: Church of St Peter Ad Vincula.
How many conservation areas are there in Combe Martin?
2, covering about 18 hectares of the town. The largest are Combe Martin and Berrynarbor.
When were Combe Martin’s buildings listed?
The first in 1953; the most, 35, in 1987.
Are there old photos of Combe Martin?
Yes: 1 public-domain photo or postcard from 1890 to 1890, all on this page.
How old are the homes in Combe Martin?
46% of homes were built before 1919 and 58% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.