The Church of St. Peter, in Wolfhampcote, Warwickshire, England
Situated down a gated lane, well off the beaten track, there is not much left of the village of Wolfhampcote (or Wolfhamcote) - the manor house, now a farm, the old vicarage, a single cottage, and the Church of St. Peter. The rest of Wolfhampcote is no more than bumps and hollows in the fields. Local tradition, long accepted as fact, held that the village was wiped out by the Black Death, carried by refugees from London, but modern research suggests the truth is more prosaic; the population changes caused by the plague meant the village ceased to be economically viable, and withered away. The church, however, continued to serve the outlying hamlets of the parish. It mainly dates from the 14th c., although it also incorporates work from the 15th c. and the tower may be later still, with inscriptions pointing to a date of 1690 for work at the very top. Some restoration took place in 1848, and further work was done in1903. However, the population of the parish, small enough already, was in steep decline and in 1910 the church was closed. At the request of local people it reopened after two years, and occasional services continued until about 1950. At about this time, however, the sad story of Wolfhampcote was the subject of a BBC documentary, and unfortunately this new-found fame attracted the attention of thieves and vandals, so that in the late 1950s demolition was mooted. Thanks to the intervention of the Friends of Friendless Churches this was avoided, but at first the theft and vandalism continued - the lead was stripped from the roof and one of the bells, dating from 1780, was also stolen, although fortunately this was recovered in time (it has now been restored to its rightful position in the tower alongside its 15th c. companion). However, in 1970 The Friends of Wolfhampcote Church was formed, chaired by Sir John Betjeman, occasional services recommenced, and in 1972 it passed to what is now the Churches Conservation Trust, who continue to care for it.
Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Wolfhampcote, Warwickshire, England
Photo credit: © David Knighton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: august, black, britain, british, church, churches, conservation, country, death, deserted, england, english, exterior, kingdom, lost, parish, redundant, scene, summer, topographical, trust, uk, united, village, warwickshire, wolfhamcote, wolfhampcote
