Oare Church (Lorna Doone)

Oare Church stands in isolation on the windswept moorland at the head of Oare Water, a tributary valley cutting north into Exmoor from the Brendon Hills. This small, austere 12th-century church is built of moorland stone and remains largely unchanged since its construction, its simple architecture reflecting the harsh landscape it serves. The church is chiefly known to modern visitors as the setting for the final dramatic scene in R.D. Blackmore's novel Lorna Doone, where the heroine is shot during her wedding service (though the shooting occurs outside the church in the book).

The remoteness of Oare Church intensifies its power as a literary pilgrimage site and as a marker of Exmoor's interior landscape. The building sits at the end of a narrow moorland lane, surrounded by open moorland with few other structures nearby. Its isolation and austere beauty reflect the bleak Doone Valley setting that Blackmore captured in his 17th-century-set adventure tale, and literary tourists have visited the site for over 150 years seeking to connect with the fictional world.

The church remains in active use for occasional services and remains open for visitors to explore its simple interior and attend to the connection between Blackmore's storytelling and the real Exmoor landscape. The narrow lane approach and moorland setting make it a destination for literary enthusiasts, walkers, and those interested in how Victorian novels have shaped landscape tourism. The nearby Doone Valley, though not quite matching Blackmore's fictional description, contains remnants of moorland settlements and ancient sites that add archaeological interest to the literary allure.