St James Parish Church Open Day + Bike n Hike + Ride n Stride
St James Parish Church, School Lane, Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, MK43 0UY
A rare opportunity to visit our beautiful medieval church. The earliest part of St James is the south arcade of the nave which is 13th-century work, and the aisle walls are perhaps of this date or rebuilt c. 1330. The chancel seems to be 14th-century, though much altered; the north arcade and aisle seem entirely of the 15th century, as does the tower, and the south porch may be c. 1500. The church was extensively refurbished, including new roofs and the redecoration of the interior, in 1911. We have an alabaster tomb with effigies of John Thompson and his wife Dorothy; he was an auditor of the Exchequer, under Elizabeth I. We also have 8 bells, the earliest dating from 1611. There will be an opportunity to climb the bell tower, with the views of the countryside, and separately to ring the bells.
The church is partly built with “greensand” stone, mixed with a dark brown stone. This greensand stone is from the local ridge of the same name and very unusually still retains its green colour. According to the building historian Pevsner this is unique to St James in Bedfordshire.
Our churchyard has been cleared and maintained to improve accessibility to all areas, but not full wheelchair access. There are attractive views across the valley and you may meet the friendly alpacas next door!
We will also providing refreshments for participants in both Bike n Hike and Ride n Stride participants.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 14 September:
- 0900 - 1700
Location & directions
St James Parish Church, School Lane, Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, MK43 0UY
- Contact on day:
- Nick Burton
- Telephone number:
- +447930556012
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The church has full wheelchair access, but the churchyard has partial wheelchair access
