The Chapel of St Anne with Lych Gate, Saunton

The Chapel of St Anne with a lych gate was built in 1898, designed by the architect Frederick James Commin of Exeter (1854-1933). The stained glass tripartite window was created by the Arts and Crafts artist Mary Lowndes (1856-1929).

The chapel’s external walls are constructed from snecked local stone, with a pitched roof covered in decorative red clay tiling featuring horizontal fish-scale patterned bands. A small belfry with a splayed lead-covered spire and a cast iron cross finial is set into the ridge at the west end.

The building follows a single-cell plan, incorporating a lean-to entrance lobby and a small vestry, which was converted from a former store, at its west gable end.

The west end is entered via the lobby, which has a segmental pointed doorway with a timber planked door. Visible in the stonework beside the entrance on the west gable is the remains of an arch, hinting at a nave that was never built, as the chapel was initially intended to serve as that nave's chancel. The side elevations feature three tall segmental pointed windows, while the east gable end has a large tripartite window. A weathered foundation stone, bearing the initials of the benefactor, Miss Mildred Mortlock-Brown, and the date '1895' (with some lettering now lost), is located just above the stepped plinth.

Inside, the walls are lined with white brick, said to originate from Peters Marland Brickwork in North Devon, and have stone ashlar dressings. The roof is constructed with arch braced collar rafters, supported by decorative moulded stone corbels, and clad with diagonally set tongue and groove timbers. The three-light east window, signed and dated by Mary Lowndes, depicts St Anne, St Agnes, and St John within a landscape setting incorporating local flowers. Later, in the late 20th century, further stained glass windows were added by unknown artists, including two depicting local flora and fauna, and dedicated to Herbert Leonard Hustwayte (1893-1978) and Coralie Mallet Hustwayte (1896-1977), former priests of St Anne's Chapel. The timber pews and altar rail are late 20th-century replacements.

Approximately 30 metres to the south west of the chapel stands an early 20th-century lych gate, constructed from local stone with a pitched tiled roof and timber gates. It provides access from Saunton Road to the chapel and its landscaped grounds.