Gidleigh Parish Council

Gidleigh is a small, historic parish deep within Dartmoor National Park, close to Chagford, and among the smallest and most sparsely populated in Devon. The parish takes its character from scattered farmsteads and cottages rather than a single large settlement, gathered loosely around the medieval Holy Trinity Church and the ruins of Gidleigh Castle. The church itself dates from the late 15th or early 16th century, with later windows and additions. Despite its size, Gidleigh has long supported a village hall and, until 1971, its own primary school. To the west, Gidleigh's boundary takes in Scorhill, home to one of Dartmoor's largest and most striking prehistoric stone circles, a reminder of the parish's much older human history. Despite covering a tiny population, Gidleigh retains its own directly elected parish council, working with West Devon Borough Council and the Dartmoor National Park Authority on planning and local matters. Cover photograph: photo by Christopher Hilton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.