Okehampton Castle; a romantic medieval ruin set in the beautiful Devon countryside with some fascinating former owners with stories to tell.
/Okehampton Castle s a romantic medieval ruin set in the beautiful Devon countryside with some fascinating former owners with stories to tell. Exploring the castle is an engaging experience. Built, soon after the Battle of Hastings and as part of the Norman Conquest, the castle had a vital role to play in consolidating William the Conqueror’s control of the rebellious South-West of England. Built on a natural spur of high land above the valley of the River Okement, its location was carefully chosen to dominate the area and be very difficult to successfully attack. Having seen little action in its early years, it became a hunting lodge for its owners to carry out their favourite pastime and entertain as well as impress, its illustrious guests. It was eventually owned by the Courtenay family who became involved in national politics and suffered some great setbacks with Thomas Courtenay, in 1461 and Henry Courtenay, in 1538, paying the ultimate price of beheading.
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St Teilo’s Church, now lovingly re-erected within the open-air precinct of St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life, is a remarkable testament to Wales’s medieval and 16th century heritage. Originally constructed in the early 16th century, this humble parish church was painstakingly dismantled, transported, and restored to its former glory — not least its dazzling wall paintings, which have been carefully recreated with scholarly precision. These vivid murals, brought back to life through meticulous craftsmanship, offer visitors a rare window into the devotional art and storytelling of the late medieval period. Stepping inside St Teilo’s, you’re transported back half a millennium, immersed in a world where faith, community, and artistic expression converged on plastered walls that still speak with vibrant colour and enduring power.