Swimbridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swimbridge (historical spelling: Swymbridge) is a village in the English county of Devon. It is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Barnstaple.

Before the shifting of parish boundaries in 2003, the size of the parish was 7,280 acres (29.5 km²); one of the largest in North Devon.

The village is noted for its church (The Parish Church of St. James; tower ca. 1300) which has before been described as a treasure house due to its fine carvings and memorials.

The village is also famed as the home of the Rev. John 'Jack' Russell who first bred Parson Jack Russell terriers. His grave can be found in the graveyard of St. James's Church and the village pub is named after him and his breed of terrier.

From 1873 to 1966, Swimbridge had a station on the Devon and Somerset Railway, which became part of the Great Western Railway and which ran from Taunton to Barnstaple. The alignment of the railway line through Swimbridge station is now part of the North Devon Link Road.