The Porch

Like our medieval forebears, we usually enter the church through the 15th Century porch. The great doors at the foot of the west tower are only used on special occasions. The porch provided shelter and seating for the weary and was once also used for marriage ceremonies before the couple entered to be blessed at the altar. Notice the (now very worn) carvings of shields and angels above the outer doorway and further carving, including a nativity scene, in the vaulted ceiling. The small room above here, called a ‘parvise chamber’, now houses the parish archives dating back over 700 years.