 |
| The Origins of the English Village |
|
.
The mystery of the parish church
|
|
 |
The Church
The church built in the wrong fashion.
The church at the centre of the village may seem a typical medieval church to the casual viewer, but in fact it is all wrong. According to the documentary evidence it was built in 1331 at a time when central towers were hopelessly out of fashion, and western towers had long been the norm.
|
|
The site of the old church
The site of the old church had never been lost: it lay about a mile to the west in a field still known as Church field. Geophysical survey, and aerial photography (see photo right) combined with excavation, soon revealed the answer: when the church was moved in 1331, the new church was built in the exact form and dimensions of the earlier church, in a style that was by then over a century out of date.
|
|
 |
 |