St Mary, Standon
In the centre of an attractive village. There is an almost detached 15th century tower and the church steps steeply up a hillside. The upper parts of the churchyard are level with the aisle roofs. The chancel is 13th century. The nave is 14th century with the west porch of the 15th century. It was restored in 1864-65 by G & H Godwin. There was a reordering completed in August 2017 that installed a nave altar dais, kitchen and toilet and this work is easily distinguished below from the red carpet.
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St Mary, Stapleford
A much rebuilt church off to the east of the main road through the village. The basis is a medieval building with some Norman and 13th century work remaining.
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St Peter, Tewin
Down a long drive on the south-west side of this large village.
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St Mary the Virgin, Westmill
Down the main street of one of the county’s picture book villages. There are Saxon remains in the nave walls and a 15th century tower. The north aisle was cut through the nave north wall in the 12th century.
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St John the Baptist, Widford
It sits some way west of the village centre, in a beautiful situation above the Ash valley. A spire rather than a spike that is more common in our county It was restored by G.E. Pritchett in 1867-68. There are early 14th-century wall paintings and 19th century painted chancel ceiling, this the work of Frances Charlotte Hadsley Gosselin in 1881-83.
St Lawrence old church, Ayot St Lawrence
Ayot St Lawrence is a tiny village but it boasts two churches, one now a stabilised ruin and one from the 18th century that was built partly as a landscape feature by Sir Lionel Lyde who started to pull down the old church but was prevented from completing the demolition by the Bishop of Lincoln.
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St Mary and All Saints, Thundridge
The ruined tower of the old church alone in the fields at Cold Christmas and unfortunately frequently vandalised. The top six pictures are from 2013 or 2011 (top right). The lower ones are from 2015 following attempts at securing the tower. The lowest 4 pictures are from December 2016 showing attempts to again secure the tower and to preserve the reset norman doorway.
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St Mary, Thundridge
Designed by Benjamin Ferrey in 1853 to replace the old church near Cold Christmas.
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St Helen, Wheathampstead
Unusual for Hertfordshire in having a lead spire and a cruciform plan. Its sits in a large churchyard right in the middle of this large village between Welwyn Garden City and Harpenden. There is a 13th century chancel and tower. The 14th century added the transepts in their present form and aisles. it was restored in 1863-66 by Edward Browning.
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St Botolph, Eastwick
Just north of the A414 near Harlow, Essex and just in Hertfordshire, this church is mainly a rebuilding by Arthur Blomfield (1872-3), only the tower and chancel arch remaining from the old building. The main treasure is a 13th century effigy under the tower.
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Hertfordshire Churches in photographs 