St John the Baptist, Aldenham
Just outside Watford but still wholly rural. A large church with a little Norman work, but the chancel is 13th century, the nave and south aisle are 14th century, the north aisle from the 15th. The chancel chapel contains a fine pair of medieval tombs. There have been many restorations starting with John Shaw in 1813-14, Sir Charles Barry in 1840, T. Talbot Bury in 1852 and a large one by A.W. Blomfield in 1881-82. WW2 bombing caused damage that was restored by 1958.
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St John the Baptist, Aldbury
On the edge of the Chiltern Hills in the west of Hertfordshire, in one of the county’s “chocolate box” villages. The church is the common Hertfordshire mix of 13th and 14th century work. The stone parclose screens around the Pendley Chapel enclose the tomb of Sir Robert Whittingham and his wife. It was restored by Edward Browning in 1864-66.
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St Mary, Albury
In the rather remote north-east of Hertfordshire, on top of a hill some way from most of the parish’s settlements. The chancel is 13th century and the nave and aisles 14th century. The pulpit is 18th century and the screen 15th century. There were restorations in 1855 by G.E. Pritchett and George Perry in 1868.
St Lawrence, Abbots Langley
A short way north of Watford on the road to Hemel Hempstead is St Lawrence’s Church. The Nave arcades are Norman, much of the rest is 14th century. However there was a serious fire in 1969 so there has been much restoration in recent years.
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St Peter, Buntingford
The original church for this small town was out in the fields to the east at the lost village of Layston. This small brick church of St Peter was built 1614-26 as a town based preaching house. with the porch and an apse added in 1899. It only replaced Layston as the parish church in the 1950s.
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St John the Baptist, Cottered
A long village along the A507 west of Buntingford, the church sits in a triangular churchyard towards the western end of the village. Medieval with a very tall nave, but no aisles and an interior with a prominent St Christopher wall painting.
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St Martin, Knebworth
One of the few churches designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, completed in the 1960s by Sir Albert Richardson.
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St Mary, Aston
Separated from Stevenage by being at a much higher elevation and a by a sliver of countryside Aston is still very much a small village. The chancel is 13th century, the rest 15th century apart from the north aisle and vestry added by P.C. Hardwick in 1851 and the south porch and rebuilt south nave wall by W.O. Milne from 1883.
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Holy Trinity, Throcking
A tiny village on a ridge between Cottered and Buntingford. The church is on the edge of the village in a large churchyard. The distinctive feature is the ungainly brick tower top dated 1660. The interior has a monument of 1753 by Rysbrack and one with a female figure by Nollekens.
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St Mary the Virgin, Brent Pelham
One of the three Pelhams out in the east near the Essex and Cambridgeshire borders. The church lies on the edge of the village and is heavily restored, the main feature of interest is the 14th century south door.
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Hertfordshire Churches in photographs 