Colan Church

Walter Bronscombe, Bishop of Exeter, is credited with the building the present church in 1250. He later applied to it the instructions he had developed for Exeter Cathedral and for the sacristan of Glasney College in 1276. The present church was dedicated to St Collen, or St Colanus, a 7th-century Welsh saint, by John Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter, July 14, 1336. According to another inference, the first church on the site was built by St Collen. There are two other churches dedicated to him, St Collen’s at Llangollen in North Wales, and another at Langolen near Quimper in Brittany, France. St Collen was said to be the abbot of the church but left it to preach more widely elsewhere. By 1887,…

Colan Church is a parish church. Initially it was built to a cruciform plan and expanded during the 15th century. Slatestone and granite rubble with granite dressings formed the basic building materials for its construction. The top part of the tower is built in granite ashlar masonry while the lower part is banded with a darker variety of stones. The west tower is on two levels, built over a hollow-chamfered plinth. The slate roof has ridge tiles at the crest and gable ends, with raised coped verges and cross finials. It is wagon-shaped and has carved bosses. The south wall with rood stairs is extant. The south transept at the lower level of the chancel forms part of the church room.…