GAMLINGAY & ABBOTSLEY
GAMLINGAY : CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN
Church Post Code SG19 3JJ
Open to visitors
Visited May 2023
It was a fine sunny afternoon in May 2023, and a day’s churchcrawling along the area of the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire border. Come mid afternoon we had arrived at the church of St Mary the Virgin at Gamlingay. This was a return visit; having previously visited here with David in June of 2015.
It was quite late on a Sunday afternoon on that original visit and the church was open, with people present setting up for a service later that day. The people were friendly and welcoming and we took a look around; but much of the exterior was covered in scaffolding and it was always the intention to pop back one day. Churchcrawling is a quiet hobby for the most part, but not that afternoon when, for a brief time the quietness of that Sunday afternoon was shattered as the Red Arrows went over.
This is a large village which recorded a population of getting on for 3,000 at the time of the 2021 census which can be found some 14 miles to the south west of Cambridge. The Bedfordshire border is close by to the south with Bedford itself around 14 miles to the west.
It is thought that there was a settlement here from the Iron Age. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Survey in 1086 but there was no mention of a church or priest here at that time. Interestingly there was a quarry within the village from which the carstone, from which the church was built, was quarried. In 1600 the ‘Great Fire of Gamlingay’ destroyed much of the village.
The church of St Mary the Virgin stands towards the east of the village, on the junction of Church Lane and Church Street. There is a pleasant scene for those entering from the west with this attractive carstone church alongside the Wheatsheaf public house.
As mentioned there was no church or priest recorded here at the time of the Domesday Survey and the church that we see today dates back to the 13th century, with extensive rebuilding during the 14th and 15th centuries. The present structure consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, north and south porches, north and south transepts and chancel.
There was a tower here at the time of the 13th century church but the tower that we see today is part of the rebuilding and is of three stages and is battlemented with church clock facing out from the west face, over what appears to be the site of a previous window; with stair turret to the north east. A recessed leaded spike rises up. The visitor enters through the north porch which is of two storeys. The lower storey dates from the 14th century with the upper room added the following century.
Gargoyles surround the tower, including one who appeared less than happy at having two white doves preening on him. One other beast leans out from the tower, regarding what is going on around them through cavernous eye sockets. A blackened figure cries out in anguish.
Lower down we see figures at the label stops of the windows. A small dog with a happy expression appears pleased to see the onlooker; more so than the beast close by whose lichen encrusted tongue is exposed in gesture of insult. Close by we see a male figure with impressive moustache and more impressive long flowing beard. A human head on the south porch is virtually weathered away to nothing.
The clerestory, which is very difficult to see from ground level (I need a drone sometimes) dates from the 15th century. The chancel is long; the transepts are substantial and the church is battlemented throughout. This is a very pleasing exterior; which was photographed on a glorious afternoon.
When JJ Raven saw his study of the church bells in Cambridgeshire published in 1868 there were five bells in the ring here, with details as follows. The first three were cast by Miles Graye in 1653, with these probably the work of Miles Graye III who was an itinerant founder with the bells being cast on a temporary site within the parish or possibly even in the church grounds. The fourth was cast by Richard Chandler III of Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire with the fifth another from Graye, again dated 1653, with this one having the names George Bury and Steven Apthorpe, who were the church wardens of the day.
The situation today has altered with there now being eight bells in the ring. A new first second and third bell were cast by the Whitechapel Bellfoundry in 2000 with the third and fourth of the ring in Raven’s time being recast by John Warner & Sons of Cripplegate London in 1897.
The church was open to visitors; moving inside it was bright and welcoming, with a very pleasing light quality. Walls are whitewashed and there is no stained glass to the south of the nave which helps in that respect. . The work of the Victorian restorers can be seen throughout with the church being thoroughly restored in 1880.
There are five bay arcades to north and south, each dating to the 13th century, with octagonal piers and capitals. High up to either side of the chancel arch are small stained glass windows which contain depictions of the four Gospel writers; these dating from the 1880 restoration.
A quick look at the east end of the north aisle shows a squint, which allows someone kneeling there to be able to view the high altar in the chancel. The east end of the south aisle is panelled, with this panelling wrapping around a medieval piscina.
Moving in to the chancel, the sedilia, the seating for the priests during the Mass, is in its traditional position against the south wall of the chancel, this consisting of three seats with each seat under a decorated ogee arch. The medieval piscina is alongside.
The east window is of five lights and is courtesy of Morris & Son of London. Central is the Risen Christ in majesty; crowned with one hand raised in blessing and carrying a globe. Light pulsates out from him forming a cross and he is surrounded by the four symbols associated with the Gospel writers.
Christ is flanked by Mary the mother of Jesus, who wears her tradition blue robe. She is situated at Christ’s right hand, the left hand side as we look at it; Jewish custom stating that the right hand side is the place of honour. John the Baptist is situated to Christ’s left hand side.
In turn these are also flanked by several other figures. To our left we see King David playing his harp and Moses with commandments stone. To our right we see Noah with Dove perched on his hand and Elijah. These characters are surrounded by an angel host of angels playing harps.
Below this we see a mix of characters. St George is shown with the flag of St George, St Agnes carries a lamb and St Augustine of Hippo holds a flaming heart. Central we have Peter, who holds the keys to the kingdom of Heaven along with St John and what I think is St James. St Catherine is crowned and carries a cross whilst St Mary Magdalene, with her long flowing hair, carries a jar of spices which was to finish anointing Jesus’ body in the tomb.
At the foot of this window we have smaller scenes, all of which show people at worship. One of these caught my eye; this showing a veiled woman, in mourning, with three children. She holds a baby, with two older golden haired girls each at prayer. The woman looks shattered, weighed down with her responsibilities. Matthew Chapter 11 verse 28 reads ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’.
There is some interesting graffiti here which includes a couple of daisy wheel, or hexafoil marks. These are designs of a six sides petal, like many of us would have drawn at school using a compass. Some say that these are a ritual protection mark, with evil spirits being attracted in to the design and away from the people; others state that they are purely secular in use, being examples of geometric exercises for apprentices.
Close by is a pentagram, a five pointed star, which today is associated with the occult. When this was carved though, it would have been a Christian symbol symbolising the five wounds of Christ.
We also see a finely carved cross and a much damaged inscription which has the name Brian and the wording ‘Limed Window’; interestingly we could see here a tradesman leaving his mark after doing some of work on a window at the church. John Coley left his mark herein a manner which could not be described as understated, his full name scratched in a long hand, in a mixture of small and capital letters. A date of 1620 something can be seen below (really difficult to read) could be attached to this.
A wall monument shows the skull and crossed bones; each a memento mori symbol, which reminds the onlooker that Man is mortal and will die. Therefore live a good Christian life, trust in God and do not be caught short when your own time comes. In days of low life expectancy it could be later than you think! There are also a couple of darts shown here as well, symbolising that the death here may have come swiftly and unexpectedly.
A banner below reads RESURGAM’, this is a Latin word which translates as ‘I shall arise again’; this being a testament as to the faith of the deceased. The font is 13th century with an octagonal bowl supported on a central shaft with smaller supporting shafts surrounding it.
The church grounds are well maintained but there is nothing of any great interest or rarity amongst the gravestones. However, the base of the churchyard cross which can be found to the south of the church and the wall of the church grounds each have their own Grade II Listing.
It was good to revisit and to see the church without scaffolding. Open and welcoming; with much to keep the visitors occupied, this church is well worth taking a look at if you are in the area. If you are planning a visit here you might wish to take a look at the church of St Mary at Potton, three miles or so to the south west, which is normally open to visitors and which has the most fabulously carved gravestones. A page for that church can be found on this site.
ABBOTSLEY : CHURCH OF ST MARGARET
Church Post Code PE19 6UJ
Open by arrangement
Visited July 2025
Church cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust but the chancel is used as the parish church.
The long hot dry summer of 2025, with its four heatwaves, had temporary ended and this July churchcrawl saw a Sunday with vastly differing weather conditions. This four church crawl consisted of two services being attended in Bedfordshire; well just over a service and a half to be truthful, sneaking in to a communion service with robed choir at Shillington part way through before heading off to a café church service at neighbouring Meppershall; the latter to the background of a thunderstorm and torrential rain throughout with tea and lemon drizzle served half way through!
The third church visited was at Abbotsley, with the church here dedicated to St Margaret. We had travelled roughly 20 miles to the north east from Meppershall and we arrived at Abbotsley about five minutes before the next band of heavy rain. The church here is normally closed to visitors but was being opened by arrangement, for which I was very grateful. Due to the rain, no photographs were taken outside on the day so exterior photographs used are from a previous visit.
Abbotsley can be found some four miles north of Gamlingay with St Neots a little further away to the north west. This attractive Huntingdonshire village recorded a population of 420 at the time of the 2021 census. The village stands either side of the busy A1046 which connects St Neots to Great Gransden; a pleasant scene with several 17th century thatched cottages and the church of St Margaret which stands centrally alongside the main road.
The church here is interesting as it has been cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust since 1976 but the chancel and vestry are still used by the parish; with services taking place inside the chancel.
There was no mention of a village here at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 with the first recorded mention of a church in the village being in 1138. The church that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, north porch, north vestry and chancel.
The earliest surviving feature of the church here is the chancel arch which dates from around 1280; with the bulk of the rest of the church coming after a major period of rebuilding during the 14th century. The clerestory was added during the 15th century. There were two periods of restoration here during the 19th century; the second of these being in 1861 by William Butterfield, at which point the chancel, vestry and north porch were rebuilt.
The perpendicular four stage west tower dates from the late 14th century, and is heavily buttressed and battlemented with gargoyles positioned centrally looking out from each side. The church clock faces out from the south and stair turret nestles between the buttresses to the south west corner.
Four figures surround the tower, with these dating from the late 16th century. Evidently these are said to represent William the Conqueror, King Harold, King Macbeth and King Malcolm. I am not a great fan of these to be fair and the CCT leaflet describes them in less than glowing terms, suggesting that they would be ‘more appropriate as garden ornaments in a nobleman’s park’.
The clerestory is in the form of five two light windows; the roofs of the nave and chancel are each tiled and are steeply pitched. A pleasing exterior which is dominated by the impressive tower!
When Revd Owen’s study of the church bells in Huntingdonshire was published in 1899 there were five bells in the ring here; and technically the same is true today albeit with one of the bells sitting at ground level in the south aisle. Owen notes that the first and fifth of the ring were each cast by Joseph Eayre of St Neots in 1748, with each including the same inscription that was seen on an earlier bell prior to recasting. The first is inscribed ‘GRATA SIT ARGUTA RESONANS CAMPNULA VOCE’ which translates as 'Pleasant be the sound of this little bells clear voice’.
The fifth is inscribed ‘NON SONO ANIMABUS MORTUORUM SED AURIBUS VIVENTIUM’. This one translates as ‘I sound not for the souls of the dead but for the ears of the living’. This is an interesting inscription as it shows a shift in emphasis from pre reformation days when so much importance was given to the prayers for the departed.
The second of the ring was cast by Johanes Grene in 1575. Grene was an itinerant founder who would have set up a temporary foundry close to where he was casting a bell; perhaps in the church grounds itself.
The third is of great age and interest and is thought to be from John Kebyl of London who was an active founder between 1460 and 1480. This has the inscription ‘EN SUM CAMPANA MARGARATE NOMINATA’, which reads back ‘I am a bell named Margaret’.
The fourth of the ring is the one that stands now in the south aisle’. This one was cast by Miles Graye III who was another itinerant founder and who had cast four bells for neighbouring Gamlingay in the same year.
After a brief and unsuccessful attempt to photograph the exterior; a quick dash inside was necessary as the worst of the rain arrived; which had probably followed us from Bedfordshire. There are four bay arcades to north and south. The south arcade was built first, dating from 1300 to 1320; having octagonal piers and capitals. The north arcade was added between 1330 and 1350 and has quatrefoil piers with moulded capitals.
There is a 16th century oak screen underneath the chancel arch, which used to stand under the tower arch; which is tall and slender, with the previous roofline before the walls were heightened when the clerestory was added, visible against the west wall.
An ornate ogee headed tomb recess in the south aisle was for a member of the Tilley family, who were Lords of the Manor here for around a century from the early 14th to early 15th centuries. A bricked in doorway at the east end of the south aisle; to the south of the chancel arch, was the doorway to the rood stairs, which led to the rood loft and the rood itself; a large carving of the crucifixion which would have been taken down and destroyed during the reformation as the reformers stripped Christian worship back to basics, promoting the worship of God himself rather than worshiping the ‘superstitious’ images that went with this.
Moving in to the rebuilt chancel, the altar is plain and simple with preserved medieval sedilia and piscina in their traditional positions against the south wall.
The east window is of three lights and has stained glass with Christ in majesty central, hand raised in blessing and standing within a golden pulsating aureole and wears a symbolic blood red cloak. He is flanked by attendant angels with the three Mary’s to his left, our right and two male figures to his right. These figures are without identifying symbols but one has greying hair which would be Peter and if so the other figure could well be John with this being the scene on Easter morning albeit with a fair bit of poetic licence!
Other glass here consists of a two light window depicting Mary (without Joseph) presenting the Baby Jesus to Simeon in the Temple. The Temple sacrifice of two young doves can be seen in a basket below. Alongside this we have the nativity with Mary alongside the manger in which the Baby Jesus lays. Again we have no Joseph. Again there is blood red symbolism in Mary’s cloak and Mary and Jesus’ nimbus.
Close by we see the baptism of Jesus. John the Baptist is dressed in an ornate robe which is far away from how he is described in the Bible; where it was told that his clothes were made of camel’s hair. Alongside we see Jesus as a 12 year old in the Temple.
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As mentioned earlier, the church here is still open for worship but only in the chancel. It is worth noting that, as well as the piscina, which was used for washing the holy vessels used during the mass, in the chancel there are also piscina at the east end of the north and south aisles; indicating that the Mass was given from three separate altars within this church. How times change!
There is some graffiti here, mainly around the windows to the north. Amongst these we see a much damaged name; the Christian name unreadable but the surname is Haylock, which is the same as there is on a Grade II Listed chest tomb that we will come to in a while. We also have the remains of a daisy wheel, or hexafoil; which some see as a ritual protection mark whilst others see it as being secular in nature, used as a geometric tool for apprentices.
Moving outside, to the south of the church we see a finely carved table tomb to William Haylock who died in 1688. This is the only memorial in the church grounds which has its own Grade II Listing. This is richly carved with symbols of the mortality of Man; a reminder to those looking on that you will go the same way as the deceased at some point. We see a human skull with crossed bones beneath, each of these being a memento mori symbol. Here the skull has wings; this symbolising the safe escorting of the soul towards Heaven. The skull wears a laurel wreath; this being a symbol of victory, with the victory here being over death. A second panel has a winged hourglass; Tempus Fugit, time flies with the sand of time having run out for the deceased.
This is a beautiful, historic church with much to keep the visitor interested. Arranging to have the church opened was not a problem with the keyholder being friendly and helpful. I did feel slightly guilty though about him coming out on what was a filthy afternoon!
Leaving the church the rain had eased off and we headed some 20 miles north towards Wistow. This was a church that I had never seen inside and it was open during the afternoon as part of a heritage weekend. The weather had been bad enough that we chatted as to whether things would have been called off. We arrived at Wistow though in bright sunshine and in some of the most glorious lighting conditions that I had shot in for a while. Leaving Wistow 45 minutes later, full of tea and lemon drizzle (for the second time that day) and the rain was lashing down again!
If anyone would like to see the report from my visit to the church of St John the Baptist at Wistow, as mentioned above please click on the photograph opposite which will direct you to that page.
This page can be found on a different site that I run with the page opening up in a different window.