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 W.D. Caroe, built of local red sandstone, and consecrated in 1912 - though the north wall was not completed till 1965, for lack of funds! 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. 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.
If you have a concern about the safety of someone or the actions of someone working with children or vulnerable adults, please speak to someone:
The name and contact details of the Parish Safeguarding Representative can be found here
The link to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team’s contact details - https://exeter.anglican.org/resources/safeguarding/safeguarding-team/
If you are a young person and you feel unhappy about something happening to you, you can call Childline on 0800 11 11.
The following organisations also offer helplines:
NSPCC: 0808 800 5000 • Stop It Now: 0808 1000 900 • NAPAC: 0808 801 0331 • Samaritans: 116 123 • Family Lives: 0808 800 2222 • National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 • Action On Elder Abuse: 080 8808 8141
