Museums & Galleries · Ilfracombe
St Anne's Chapel
📍 EX31 1DE
Photo: Basher Eyre (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Barnstaple's last surviving Chantry Chapel building
- Ground floor undercroft, possibly a charnel house
- Tudor tower added to the south elevation
- History as a grammar school attended by John Gay
- Site of Huguenot refugee worship in the 17th century
St Anne's Chapel is Barnstaple's last surviving Chantry Chapel, thought to date mainly to the early 14th century, with a ground-floor undercroft that may once have served as a burial site or charnel house. Over the centuries it has been a working chapel, a grammar school attended by playwright John Gay, a refuge for Huguenot worshippers, and later the town museum, before closing in 1997 and reopening in 2012 as St Anne's Arts and Community Centre. It suits visitors interested in local history and heritage architecture, including the Tudor tower added to its south side. Located in Barnstaple, North Devon, within the Museums & Galleries category, it's close to Barnstaple station (0.5 miles) and near 64 bookable places to stay within 5 miles, making it an easy addition to a short break in the area.
Practical details
- Booking
- Enquiries handled via the Welcome Manager or box office
- Open
- Reopened in 2012 following restoration, now managed as an arts centre
From the attraction's own website on 4 Oct 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Bar
- ✓ Cafe
- ✓ Guided Tours
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Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
0.1 mi
0.2 mi
0.7 mi
0.8 mi
1 mi
1.2 mi
🗓️ Make a break of it
Turn a visit to St Anne's Chapel into a proper getaway — ready-made plans, and the drive worked out with fuel, EV charging and the best stops.
🚆 Or come by train
- Barnstaple 0.5 miles
- Chapleton 4.7 miles
- Umberleigh 6.7 miles
Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page