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This
endearing little church, approached through an avenue of lime
trees, looks at first sight like a rustic Georgian building, with
tall, round-headed windows with clear glass. Its classicalfeatures,
however, mask a fascinating and much longer history. The origins
of the church go back as far as the 11th century, when there was a
thriving village here. Some remains of the early church survive,
in particular the two spectacular 12th century stone carvings,
which you can see on the east wall of the vestry. One, a richly
decorated tympanum, shows a soldier in a kilt, a snake, a dragon
and a bird, all surrounded by wonderfully twisted foliage. The
other is part of a stone cross on which is a carved figure of
Christ holding the hand of another person.
The
design of the interior reflects the major rebuilding that took
place in 1692. There is a west gallery and box pews. The elegant
fireplace and fine circular window in the south transept mark
where once the occupants of the Hall nearby had their pew, and
were able to worship in greater comfort and seclusion. Tradition
has it that William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway here, and
that his granddaughter’s wedding also took place at Billesley.
Sadly no parish registers survive from this time to prove it. |
