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Ancestral Locations - Hidden Heritage

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Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire

St. Mary's Chapel, Wibtoft. 

 Occupying  a small plot of land overlooking the A5  (Watling Street), its full title is The Chapel of the Assumption of Our Lady The Blessed Virgin Mary. The chapel is linked with St. Peter's at Claybrooke and St. Nicholas at Frolesworth, both in Leicestershire.

St. Mary's was rebuilt, with red brick, in the 18th and 19th centuries. A short distance away along the A5 is High Cross, the point where the two great Roman roads, Watling Street and Fosse Way, meet.

Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire

St. Mary The Virgin, Whitchurch 

The church is all that remains of the old mediaeval village of Whitchurch. It serves the hamlets of Crimscote and Wimpstone which are in the civil parish of Whitchurch. Its only neighbour is a tithe barn which has been converted to a modern dwelling. The settlement at Whitchurch was depopulated by Edward Belknap, after he became Lord of the Manor in 1490. 

    Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire


    St. Edith's Monks Kirby

    This imposing church is most often seen in a fleeting glance, from a distance, by travellers on the road between Pailton and Brinklow. Indeed, viewing from a distance probably gives a better appreciation of its size. The presence of such a large building in a small village is explained by the fact that it was the church of the priory, established here in the 11th century, from which the village gets its name. 

      Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire

       

      St. John The Baptist, Lea Marston 

      The church overlooks what was once the estate of Hams Hall, the home of the Adderley family. The most famous member of the family was Charles Bowyer Adderley, the first Baron Norton, who helped to found the constitution of New Zealand and was involved with the 1867 Act which created the Dominion of Canada. He was a Member of Parliament for over 30 years. He was an advocate of colonial self-government and free education.

        Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire


        St. Johns Church, Copston Magna

        This beautiful little church, with its well tended churchyard in a sylvan setting, forms part of the benefice of Wolvey but at one time was a chapel within the parish of  Monks Kirby. The present building dates from 1849 when it replaced a previous church on the site.

        The church has a nave, chancel, south vestry, south porch and bell-gable. Constructed of sandstone rubble, a visit on a sunny day will enable the red and purple hues to be fully appreciated.

          Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire


          The Church of The Assumption of Our Lady, Ashow

          The church is situated at the end of the attractive village of Ashow, hidden away behind trees and hedges. It is approached along a short footpath. The first view of the church shows that it occupies one of the most picturesque settings of any church in Warwickshire, being on the banks of the River Avon.  It is thought that the church originally served both Ashow and the now disappeared hamlet of Bericote, on the opposite bank of the river. 

            Ancestral Locations - Hidden Churches of Warwickshire

            St. Mary, Astley  

            This large church. in the hamlet of Astley. serves a parish that is large in area with a widespread population. The old school, facing the main road, dates from 1871. It once served as a sculptor's studio but this closed in 1997. Also close to the church is Astley Reading Room, dating from 1914.

              ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE


              The Church of St. Lawrence, Barton on the Heath

              Located at the high point of the village, this is a fine, old, stone church featuring a saddleback tower. The interior contains several memorials and an interesting old font. The highlight, however, is a truly magnificent stained glass window, installed in the north wall of the nave in 1995. This modern version of an ancient craft is a tremendous attraction.  


                ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                St. Theobald and St. Chad, Caldecote

                This delightful church is one of Warwickshire's treasures. It is approached, on foot, along a drive lined with mature trees and interesting dwellings. The nave and chancel date from the 13th century, with major restoration work of 1873. The history of the village of Caldecote and its church is linked with that of Caldecote Hall. In 1642, during the English Civil War, the Hall was besieged by Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, accompanied by 18 troops.

                ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                St. Bartholomew, Little Packington

                Standing, forlorn and deserted, in a small plot on the Packington Estate of Lord Aylesford, St. Bartholomew's was a sad example of a place of worship suffering from a diminishing congregation. Set amongst farmland, with few dwellings nearby, the church drew from a parish with a small population dispersed throughout a rural area. The parish was once known as Packington Piggott. 

                  ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKShire

                  St. Peter’s Church, Wolfhampcote

                  St. Peter's is probably the most isolated church in the County of Warwickshire with just Wolfhampcote Hall and two other dwellings nearby. The original village of Wolfhampcote was in the fields close by but disappeared as the result of enclosure in 1501. The civil and ecclesiastical parish of Wolfhampcote covers a large geographical area, serving the hamlets of Flecknoe, Nethercote and Sawbridge and some isolated farms. 

                    ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                    St. James, Great Packington

                    The Chapel stands four square and prominent, set amongst the vast parkland of Packington Hall where black fallow deer graze contentedly. Originally the Parish Church of Great Packington, it is now a private chapel. To the west of the chapel is the present day Packington Hall, seat of the Earls of Aylesford. The chapel was built in the late 18th century, to replace an earlier church, 

                      ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                      St. Mary The Virgin, Haseley

                      This attractive little church is some distance from the main population centre of the civil parish of Haseley. Were it not for the tower, the church, with its leaded light windows, could be mistaken for a large, rural cottage.

                      The short nave has high box pews. The chancel has a colourful east window and the tomb of Clement Throckmorton, who died in 1573, and his wife, Katherine Neville. He was Lord of the Manor and the Member of Parliament for Warwick and Warwickshire.

                      ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                      URC Chapel End

                      This large, interesting chapel looks somewhat misplaced, amongst the cottages and shops which line the main road from Nuneaton to Coleshill. Passing motorists probably have little time to give it a second glance. It was not always so. When the chapel was first established it was one of the first buildings hereabouts. Construction started in 1807, on a plot purchased following the enclosure of common land.  

                        ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                        St. Peter and St. Paul, Winderton  

                        Built to serve the small settlement of Winderton in 1878, the church served its purpose for less than 100 years, having been declared redundant in 1974. It was commissioned by Canon Thoyts as a memorial to his parents. The land was provided by the Marquess of Northampton and gives excellent views over the surrounding countryside. It is an attractive building, constructed of golden brown stone from local quarries. 

                        ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS - HIDDEN CHURCHES OF WARWICKSHIRE

                        The Old Meeting United Reformed Church, Bedworth 

                        This is an early non-conformist chapel, dating from 1726 with alterations in 1808. It is a large building with a 4-tiered balcony, meeting rooms and a Sunday School room at the rear. Julius Saunders, the first minister is commemorated in a tablet located behind the pulpit.

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