History of St Laurence Church

For nearly a thousand years our beautiful church has been at the heart and soul of village life. St Laurence Church remains a special place for many people here today.

Lawrence was among the seven deacons of the Roman church serving Pope Sixtus II, whose martyrdom preceded Lawrence’s by a few days: they were executed during the persecution under the Roman emperor Valerian. It is said that Lawrence gave the church’s treasures to the poor and the sick before his arrest. Although Lawrence was probably beheaded, St. Ambrose of Milan and the Latin poet Prudentius, among others, recorded that he was roasted to death on a gridiron, remarking to his torturers at one point, “I am cooked on that side; turn me over, and eat.”

The church was built and developed over several centuries, going back to the 12th. The oldest part is the nave.The arches are transitional Norman (about 1180); the pointed arches rest on round pillars. The carving on the capital of each pillar is different. On the north side of the nave is the aisle - this was rebuilt and the north chapel added in 1612.