Stoke Canon

Stoke Canon is a small village and civil parish near the confluence of the Rivers Exe and Culm, on the A396 between Exeter and Tiverton. A former railway station served the village from 1860 to 1960, and the line it sat on is still in use for passing trains today. The wider Exe Valley electoral ward that takes in Stoke Canon had 2,041 residents at the 2011 census.

The parish church of St Mary Magdalene was rebuilt in 1836, keeping only its west tower, at a cost of £1,000. Inside is a Norman font and floor slabs from the 17th century. Daniel Boone’s grandfather was baptised here in 1666, one of the more unexpected entries in the parish register.

The village holds a post office, general stores and the Stoke Canon Inn. At the 2001 census the parish itself had 660 residents, small enough that the rivers either side of the village do more to define it than any single street. Flooding from the Exe and Culm has been a recurring concern here, and the Environment Agency keeps a river-level monitoring point at Stoke Canon.

The A396 setting suits a stay built around day trips rather than walking from the cottage door: Exeter’s cathedral and shops sit one way, Tiverton and the Grand Western Canal the other.