Poughill Church

The church St. Olaf is in the centre of Poughill village, a mile from Bude. The 15th century church  houses a Norman font and  a wonderful collection of bench-ends (78 in all) telling the story of the Passion in remarkable detail, to the pair of immense 15th Century paintings of St. Christopher facing each other across the nave.

The old Lychgates are kept in the tower and the huge Royal Coat of Arms is dated 1655, a reminder that the Headquarters of Sir Bevil Grenville, during the Civil War, was at nearby Stowe Barton.

The manor of Poughill belonged to Cleeve Abbey in Somerset until its Dissolution and it was probably abbot William Dovell who gave the land opposite the church to build the church or guild house before 1520. The house survives having been converted into two dwellings.