St. Sabinus' Church - Woolacombe
St. Sabinus’ Anglican Church is part of the Coast and 'Combe Mission Community together with the churches of St. Mary’s Mortehoe and St. Matthew’s Lee.
Woolacombe, a tiny hamlet until the mid-19th century, grew rapidly with the advent of mass tourism, on account of its glorious setting and superb beach, and by the early 20th century needed its own Anglican church. St. Sabinus' was designed by J.D. Caroe, built of local red sandstone, and consecrated in 1912 - though the north wall was not completed till 1965, for lack of funds! The interior is spacious, well-proportioned, and adaptable for all kinds of worship and social events. The church is open every day, all year round. (Despite the legend of an Irish bishop shipwrecked in Morte Bay, depicted in one of the north windows, the dedication is almost certainly to the 5th-century Bishop of Canosa in Puglia, southern Italy.)
St. Sabinus' congregation offers a warm welcome to our many seasonal visitors. The main Sunday service is Parish Communion at 10.00 am, followed by a chance to meet over tea and coffee. On the 1st Sunday each month, the service is All-age Worship; on all other Sundays, “Upstairs Downstairs”, our Sunday club for school-age children, operates - and there is a children's corner for the little ones. Every Wednesday evening, there is Holy Communion (a quiet, meditative service) at 7.00 pm. In term-time, “First Steps” pre-school service runs every Wednesday at 2.30 pm; and “Messy Church” offers fun and craft activities on the 3rd Friday of each month at 3.30 pm. And on Wednesday mornings, between 10 and 12, “Open Door” is a coffee morning and drop-in for locals and visitors.
A reminder of our regular pattern of services:
- 1st Sunday: 10.00 am All-age Communion
- Other Sundays: 10.00 am Parish Communion with “Upstairs Downstairs” for children
- Wednesdays (term-time): 2.30 pm “First Steps” for pre-school children
- Every Wednesday: 7.00 pm Holy Communion
- 3rd Friday: 3.30 pm Messy Church