Church of St Sabinus, Woolacombe

It is the only church in the United Kingdom that is dedicated to St Sabinus of Canosa and has been a Grade II* listed building since 1985.

There is a popular local legend that the church is actually dedicated to a Celtic saint of the same name from Ireland who was shipwrecked on Woolacombe Sands, but there is no historical evidence to support that claim.

The chancel is slightly narrower than the nave and has three-bay arcades and a waggon roof with carved corbel bosses at the east end.

There is an elaborate wooden chancel screen with grille; the octagonal baptismal font with fleuron decoration dates to 1916.

[2][6] Among the stained glass windows are those by the studio of Charles Eamer Kempe and Archibald Keightley Nicholson[2] which variously depict the legend of St Sabinus being shipwrecked at Woolacombe Sands and which was installed in 1969 in memory of Royal Marine commando Ernest John "Jack" Watts (1925–1946); the window dedicated to the Colville Family was installed in 1969; the War Memorial Window installed in 1919 and produced by the Kempe studio; the Nutman Window is the work of Archibald Nicholson and is dedicated to William John Nutman, captain of the SS Aidar, who received the Albert Medal, first class from Queen Victoria for his great gallantry in saving the life of an injured crewman during a storm in the Mediterranean Sea on the night of 19 January 1896.

The Church of St Sabinus was designed by W. D. Caröe and was consecrated in 1912
Window depicting the legend of St Sabinus
The baptismal font dates to 1916
View down the nave towards the chancel