Getting to know Coleford
A village with roots.
Not a town, not a tourist attraction made to order — just a distinctive little Devon village, shaped over generations by the road, the stream and the working countryside.
Photograph: Roger Cornfoot / Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Welcome to Coleford
Coleford lies in Mid Devon, in the parish of Colebrooke, near Crediton, Copplestone and Bow. Its modest size hides a history of farming, roadside trade, inns, craftsmen and families who made their homes at a meeting of lanes and water.
Look along the village and you begin to understand how it grew: buildings cluster around the historic crossroads and the crossing, while fields and old farmsteads rise away into the surrounding landscape.
For much of its history, Coleford was not simply a place to pass through. It was somewhere to work, buy, sell, meet and stay.
The Devon countryside all around
Hedgerows, steep lanes and small fields give this part of Devon its character. Farming has long shaped both the landscape and everyday village life; the pattern of farmhouses, cottages and former workshops still hints at that past.
The parish's old maps and records reveal much more than the scenery can show. A house might once have served a trade. A farm building might have been a lodging place. A familiar bend in the road might mark an important change made generations ago.
Another Coleford — an important distinction
There is also a well-known town called Coleford in Gloucestershire. This website is about Coleford, Devon, near Crediton in Mid Devon. If you are researching a local family, village history or a property, checking the county matters.