St Augustine, Penarth

Cathedral Church of St Michael & St George, Aldershot

St James, Avebury

St Mary, Marlborough

St John the Baptist, Mildenhall

St Mary, Chilton Foliat

All Saints, Fleet

 

St Peter, Babraham

All Saints, Herstmonceux

St Peter, Cowfold

St Mary, Linton

St Nicholas, Bishop's Sutton

All Saints, Bighton

St Andrew, Medstead

St Mary, Bentworth

Bentworth is a delightful village with an interesting church, just north west of Alton.

The church itself has a nave with north and south aisles, and chancel. Dating from the 13th Century, the aisles have four bays each, of robust round piers, scalloped capitals and pointed arches. The chancel east window has delicate shafts inside, alongside which is a piscina with a trefoiled head with dogtooth - an unusual form. The tower arch is later, as is the font, which dates from the early 16th century and has attractive cusped arches on the sides. The font also has a delightful cover, dated 1605.

The porch arch is worth a closer look for the graffiti which is carved into the outside; alongside the usual initials, there are several representations of the cross on a hill, and what might be Marian ("M") markings - apotropaic marks, intended to ward off witches. There are dates inscribed ranging from 1597 to 1967. Outside in the churchyard, tucked away under a tree, is the grave of George Cecil Ives (1867-1950). A poet, writer, penal reformer and early homosexual law reform campaigner, he was an acquaintance of Oscar Wilde and a friend of Edward Carpenter, and deserves to be better known.

The church is part of the united benefice of Bentworth, Lasham, Medstead and Shalden. Services are held every second and fourth Sunday at 10am.

St Mary, Church Street, Bentworth, Alton. GU34 5RE

St Botolph, Hadstock

Hadstock can claim to be one of the oldest parish churches in continuous use in England. This late Anglo-Saxon church is regarded by many as the Minster built by King Cnut (Canute) in 1020, to commemorate his victory over Edmund Ironside at the battle of Assandun in 1016.

Its history may date even further back, as it was built on the site of an even earlier Anglo-Saxon church. It is possible that this was the site of the monastery founded in 654 by St Botolph at Icanho (the other contender is Iken, also in Essex) but destroyed by the Danes in 870. The claim rests both on archeology (a dig unearthed a limited quantity of early Anglo-Saxon pottery) and a reference in the Book of Ely, which links Hadstock (then called Cadenho) to Botolph. 

Whether or not all this is the case, the impressively tall and long nave and the north transept of the present building are certainly late Anglo-Saxon. The nave retains four double-splayed windows from this period, as well as the famous door, dated through dendrochronology to 1034-42. The doorway is an impressive piece of Romanesque architecture in its own right, with imposts and outer mouldings decorated with a "honeysuckle" or palmette decoration. This form also survives in the opening to the south transept.

The original church may have had a wooden central crossing tower, but the present west tower dates from the 15th Century, the south transept having already been rebuilt in the 14th Century. All this would be wonderfully harmonious, were it not for the less fortunate history of the chancel: the Anglo-Saxon apse was replaced by a large, square-ended chancel in mediaeval times, itself replaced in 1790 by a small apse, and replaced again by the present chancel in 1884, by William Butterfield. I confess that, in my view, it is not his best work: it all feels ill at ease with the rest if the church (the dark red tiles on the east nave wall are particularly unfortunate). 

Happier are the fittings: a 14th Century font on a Saxon base, with a late 17th or early 18th century cover; a 15th century screen with carvings of a fox preaching to geese; and some lovely late-mediaeval oak benches.

Now part of the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry, the church has services on the first and third Sundays a month and Morning Prayer on Tuesdays.

St Botolph's, Church Path, Hadstock, CB21 4PH

All Saints, Horseheath

Horseheath is a small village to the west of Haverhill, now thankfully bypassed by the busy A1307 road to Cambridge. The church sits on a small rise at the north of the village, and has an interesting interior.

The tower and chancel are both Decorated, sitting either end of a spacious but unaisled Perpendicular nave, which is lit by spectacularly large, three-light transomed windows. Most of the fabric dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, though chevron patterning on the exterior hints at a Norman, if not Saxon, foundation. The brick battlements above the nave were added in the 18th century, and the church was restored in 1829 and again in 1883. The porch gable has a 16th century sun-dial.

The main interest lies in the chancel: this is entered through a delicate 15th Century screen, which contains traces of the original paint. It contains two impressive monuments: that on the right has two tiers, an effigy on each tier, commemorating Sir Giles Alington (d. 1522) and (below) his son, also Sir Giles (d. 1586). The upper tier rests on bulbous piers, and once had an impressive superstructure, remnants of which now sit adjacent to the monument. 

On the left hand side is the monument to a later Sir Giles Alington (d. 1613) and his wife; this is a striking piece, executed in red alabaster. Their finely detailed effigies sit above a tomb chest, with their six children kneeling in the panel below. The back piece is has an arch containing a strapwork cartouche, flanked by columns - overall, a fine piece of Jacobean work. On the floor is a good brass to the earlier Lord of the Manor, William Audley (d. 1366), resplendent in 14th century plate armour. Adjacent is a later civilian brass, sadly now headless.

The church is now part of the Linton team, and generally has services on the third Sunday of the month at 10am, and the first Sunday of the month at 4pm, and a 10am Sunday club on the First Sunday of the month, with worship  and activities for Children and Families.

West Wickham Road, Horseheath, Cambridge, CB21 4QA

St Stephen Walbrook, City of London

St John the Baptist, New Alresford

 

St Andrew, Surbiton

St Andrew is one of the earlier examples of the famous and prolific church architect Sir Arthur Blomfield, and is a short walk north from Surbiton railway station. 

The history of Surbiton is really that of the railway, which arrived in what became known as "Kingston-on-Railway" in 1838. Kingston Corporation resisted the railway passing through Kingston itself, and so the line was built a few miles to the south. The station was originally further east, but was relocated to its present position in the 1840s. This spurred the rapid development of Surbiton as a suburb, and with it came the need for a new church.

The first church, St Mark's, rapidly became too small for the congregation, and a small "iron" mission chapel was opened. This too quickly proved inadequate, so a larger permanent church was planned, on a site given by Coutts Bank. Work began in 1871, and a tower was added later in the year, as a mark of thanksgiving for the recovery of the then Prince of Wales from illness. 

Blomfield's Neo-gothic design has a west front with an apsidal baptistery, a very wide nave with narrow aisles, and large transeptal chapels flanking the chancel. The tower is effectively detached. Pevsner describes this early example of Blomfield's work as "vigorous", with bold patterning of red and yellow brick, and Bath stone dressings. The tower is the only jarring element, as it has a tall gable roof, which provides an odd appearance when viewed from the side, approaching the church from the station.

The brick patterning is particularly evident inside, with bold banding in yellow, red and cream along the walls side walls, and further geometric patterning at the east and west ends. The furnishings are mostly modern, but there is a large painted rood above the Lady Chapel, and a handsome marble font. A  charming feature is the painting of the baptistery roof, which has a ceiling of stars above a frieze depicting the story of Noah's ark, executed in a faux-mediaeval style. 

A new entrance, refectory and choir vestry was added in 2009 to the side. The church is in a joint parish with St Mark's, and the two together offer a regular pattern of services in a variety of styles, including choral eucharist at St Andrew's, alongside family and more informal services.

St Andrew, Maple Road, Surbiton KT6 4DS

St Mary, Bury St Edmunds

Located just 150 yards south of the Cathedral of St James, St Mary's was enlarged to its present size in the 14th and 15th centuries. One of the largest and impressive parish churches in England, it is a match for the Cathedral in both size and architecture. It is also the burial place of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII. 

Originally one of three churches in the Abbey precinct, the oldest surviving part of St Mary's is the sturdy and rather rustic flint tower. This dates from the 14th century, as does the chancel; the nave and aisles were rebuilt in 15th century. From the outside, the most impressive view is from Honey Hill, where the 14-bay south aisle fronts the street, all the more imposing for the uniformity of its windows. On the north side is the small but exquisite north porch, commemorating John Notyngham and his wife. Built in 1440, this has an unusual wheel vault, with a pendant at its hub.

That said, nothing really prepares you for the interior: the nave has ten bays of uniform and very tall  arches, leading the eye dramatically to the chancel arch. The clerestory has a pair of windows to each arch - 40 in all. The renowned nave roof is worth a visit in its own right: hammer beams alternate with arched braces, with angels on the hammer beams, and two rows of angels on the wall plate. The spandrels of the braces are decorated with a menagerie of animals, real and imaginary; the wall posts have kings, saints, and prophets. Before entering the chancel, look back: the west window - the largest in a parish church - has glass given in thanksgiving for a successful harvest in 1854.

The 14th century chancel is a complete contrast: a more intimate space flanked by side chapels, this nevertheless has its own impressively decorated roof, with gold highlighting panels and bosses against a vivid turquoise background. The bosses have more animal scenes, including the familiar allegory of a fox preaching to geese. The church contains some interesting tombs: tucked away in the sanctuary is that of Mary Tudor (d. 1533), Queen of France and later Duchess of Sussex, comprising just a simple carved floor slab. Flanking the chancel are two impressive tomb chests with effigies, on the north side to Sir William Carew (d. 1501) and his wife; and on the south to Sir Robert Drury (d. 1536), Privy Counsellor to Henry VII. In the south nave aisle is the tomb of John Barat - a real rarity, featuring his cadaver in place of the usual effigy. Above, the roof has four panels decorated with his family motto "Grace me governe", picked out in lozenge patterns incorporating small mirrors, giving the impression of stars.

The church is in the evangelical tradition of the Church of England, but retains traditional services (including Evensong) with a choir, alongside more contemporary and informal worship, and a busy calendar of events and groups. On our visit, we received a wonderful welcome, including a lunch courtesy of their weekly "Open Kitchen".

St Mary, Honey Hill, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1RT

St Mary & St Andrew, Whittlesford

St Mary the Virgin, Great Shelford

St John the Baptist, Royston

St Giles, Oxford

St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

St Mary the Virgin, Oxford

St Giles, Wendlebury