Wolfhampcote Church
I was watching a TV programme about canal cruising on barges yesterday. The programme was about a trip beginning at Braunston which is in the county of Northamptonshire, adjacent to Buckinghamshire where I live and Wolfhampcote is about 40 miles away from my home.
In the programme the barge owner had just started the trip and he seemed to go past an old church and actually mentioned it. Just the stone walls were left, it was a bit of a ruin, just the kind of thing I like to photograph. So I looked on the map to try and see where it was and I found the site of an old medieval village near to the canal and the only thing left standing was the church. I deduced that this must be the place so this morning I set off to find it. The map showed it as being on a track accessible from the road so I parked the car. I was about to set off on my walk when a man appeared in a pick up truck to go through the gate.. I asked if I was OK to park where I was while I walked to the church, as there was nothing official. He confirmed it was OK.
I started walking, through the gate and it was going to be about a mile.. I took a look back when I got to the big tree you see above.
I turned round and continued my journey. Eventually the church came into sight and could see it was nothing like the one I saw on TV. However these old places are always worth a look so I entered the grounds and wandered round hoping to find a door, which I did…
I got in and it was very basic inside but it was the sole survivor of an entire village. I have found out that the village was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 and the church was abandoned in the 14th century. That makes it almost 1000 years old, amazing ! I did. notice that the church tower was very low compared to more recent churches. and compared to church on the horizon in the second phot of this post !
After a look around trying picture it back in its early days.. and the people inside every Sunday.. I went back outside and got some more pictures..
Having completed my stay there I headed back, but not the way I came, I continued on the track through where all the original houses etc would have been and made my way to the tow path on the canal that I had seen on the TV Yesterday and eventually back to the car.
Just as I was arriving back at the car the man I saw earlier was also coming back through the gate in his truck. He. asked if I got any good pictures, I explained that I got some pictures but not the pictures I was hoping for. He told me that as there is no electricity in the church every Christmas the locals have a candlelight procession and service in the church to raise money for its upkeep. I told him about the church I had seen on TV but he couldn’t think where that might be. More research is required !!