THE HEMINGFORDS.
HEMINGFORD ABBOTS : CHURCH OF ST MARGARET
Church Post Code PE28 9AL
Open to visitors
It was March 2025, Ash Wednesday to be exact, the first day of Lent, and it was a long overdue revisit to the Hemingfords. These are two adjoining villages, Hemingford Abbots and Hemingford Grey and I visited the former first; attending an Ash Wednesday Communion at the latter afterwards.
Hemingford Abbots is a village that is situated along the southern Bank of the River Great Ouse, which recorded a population of 619 at the time of the 2021 census. Huntingdon is three miles away to the west with St Ives a roughly similar distance off to the east. Neighbouring Hemingford Grey joins to the east.
This is a beautiful village, with many thatched cottages; with the Telegraph naming it in 2023 as one of the poshest villages in the UK and the poshest in Cambridgeshire. I am sure that some reading this will substitute the word Cambridgeshire for Huntingdonshire, with the Hemingfords being part of Huntingdonshire District Council.
The name Hemingford means "the ford of the people of Hemma", where Hemma is believed to have been a Saxon chief. The name "Abbots" was added in reference to its ownership by Ramsey Abbey who owned the land here at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086; at which point a church and a priest were recorded.
The church here is dedicated to St Margaret and can be found in a quiet and pleasant part of what is a quiet and pleasant village, the church off to the north east of the village; the broach spire standing proud above the thatched roofs of the nearby cottages, a thatched cat arching its back in alarm on one of them as I made my way to the church from the south.
When Revd Owen published his study of the church bells in Huntingdonshire in 1899, he recorded five bells here whilst noting that a sixth brand new bell had recently been added. Owen recorded a ring of five from St Neots founder Joseph Eayre; all being dated 1754.
The first has Latin which translates to ‘Lend your ear’ with the second being inscribed ‘Lift up your hearts’, along with ‘OMNIA FIANT AD GLORIAM DEI’ ‘let all things be done for the glory of God’. The fourth is inscribed ‘Honour the King’ along with ‘HIS NAZARENUS REX JUDOEARIUM FILI DEI MISERERE MEIN’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews son of God have mercy on me’. This bell is also inscribed with the name C Dickens, the Rector of the day. The fifth bell has the same OMNIA FIANT inscription as the second. The sixth bell, which became the new first of the ring was cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1897.
Nothing remains of the church that was recorded here during the Domesday Survey; the original structure being replaced by a 12th century church which had a central tower’. The church that we see today consists of west tower with spire, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch, north organ chamber and vestry and chancel.
There was a complete reconstruction of the church here towards the end of the 13th century, with the aisles and arcades being rebuilt at that time, with the central tower being pulled down. During the late 14th century the west tower was built, partially within the church and taking up part of the most westerly bays of the north and south aisles, with the clerestory being reconstructed during the 15th century. The chancel was rebuilt during the 18th century, following a report by the Archdeacon of Huntingdon in 1748 which stated ‘the chancel much out of repair’. There was restoration here in the 1870’s with the south porch being rebuilt in 1887; with the spire being rebuilt in 1911.The chancel had a new east window of three lights built in 1913.
This is a church of pleasing dimensions. The three stage tower is battlemented and buttressed, with church clock facing out from the south. Crocketed pinnacles can be found at the four corners; tall slender octagonal broach spire rising up.
The clerestory windows do not match; the most westerly being of two lights, taller and more slender with the other two being broader and of three lights. The chancel is an obvious 18th century rebuild, made of small bricks rather than dressed rubble. A close look at the south wall shows the faded remains of a scratch dial (or mass dial); this being a sundial which would help the priest to establish when it was time for Mass.
The exterior is decorated with a few gargoyles and grotesques; with some being of human figures with others being fabulous, and not particularly terrifying, beasts. Crouching against a buttress is a human figure which is playing with his very long beard. Two figures at the label end of the east window of the south aisle show a male and female figure. The female is depicted with long hair and prominent cheek bones. The male figure opposite has borne the worst of the weather over the years; eyes encrusted with lichen and the right hand side of his moustache as we look at it being weathered away.
Visitors enter in to the church grounds through a lychgate to the south east; the path leading up to the south porch, with gravestones dating back to the 18th; one of which had an angel with lichen encrusted face with carving of a human skull alongside, reminding the onlooker to live a good Christian life as they would one day be going the same way as the deceased.
The church was open to visitors; and it was bright and welcoming inside with the sun streaming in through the south clerestory windows on what was turning in to the most glorious of days. There are four bay arcades to north and south, with octagonal piers and capitals. The area where the central tower stood can be seen by increased thickness of the walls and the piers to north and south and also much more substantial in that area.
Standing at the early 14th century chancel arch and looking to the west, the tower arch is tall and slim, with a screen separating it from the nave. The lower doorway which would have housed the stairs leading to the rood loft in pre reformation days is still visible but is partially blocked.
Moving in to the chancel, as was mentioned earlier, this is an eighteenth century rebuilding and the medieval sedilia and piscina have not survived the rebuilding. The altar is plain and simple, with altar cloth of green which is the colour used for ‘Ordinary Times’ which in this case is the period between Christmas and Lent. With this being the first day of Lent the colour would be changed very soon for violet or purple; with this remaining until the start of Holy Week, Palm Sunday, when the altar cloth would become red, symbolic of the blood shed for us.
The east window of the chancel is of three lights and shows the crucifixion. The central light shows a very formal depiction of Christ crucified; Mary the mother of Jesus and John alongside the cross, with above the cross two angels holding aloft the crown of Victory.
This scene is flanked by various characters; with to the left as we look at it, St Peter being the easiest to identify due to him carrying the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Alongside him is St Margaret who is crowned and who carries a processional cross. At her feet is a dragon; with legend stating that Margaret was swallowed by a dragon, escaping after the cross that she was carrying irritated the dragons stomach. To the right is the Roman centurion that stood alongside the cross as Jesus was crucified. Several characters I failed to identify!
The east end of the south aisle in a historical sense is more intact that the chancel due to the chancel being rebuilt. Against the south wall of the east end of the south aisle is a piscina, in which the holy vessels used during the Mass would be washed and an aumbry, in which the holy vessels used in the Mass would be stored.
The east window of the south aisle is of three lights and is a depiction of the Risen Christ appearing to 10 disciples; with him shown with red nimbus and cloak, symbolic of the blood shed for us, with wounds visible in hands feet and side. The script below reads ‘then opened he their understanding that they might better understand the scriptures’ with this coming from Luke Chapter 24 verse 45. Okay, why 10 disciples and not 11 (Judas had betrayed Jesus and Matthias had not yet taken his place.
Luke Chapter 24 does not mention this, purely to say that the risen Christ appeared before the disciples. However John Chapter 20, starting from verse 24, states that Thomas was not with the other disciples when he came to them; later refusing to believe upon being told what the others had seen; until he could place his hands in the wounds, with this leading to the term ‘doubting Thomas’.
Against the south wall of the south aisle is a depiction of Jesus seated with children and their parents. I am always interested in seeing the expressions of the faces of those gathered alongside Jesus. Many look on with love; sometimes the look on their face in angry, some are shown with head in hands and occasionally their backs are turned on Jesus. Here, my attention was caught by a woman with her young son. Both are golden haired and distinctly un Jewish(to be fair Jesus is also shown as golden haired and distinctly un Jewish). The mother looks tired and emotional, looking imploringly at Jesus ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ he says in return.
A few 18th century stained glass panels have coats of arms, with one detailing Samuel Dickens who was the rector here for 34 years before his death in 1748 aged 58 years. His son Charles was the rector here following his father’s death and his name is inscribed on one of the bells which were newly cast in 1754.
HEMINGFORD GREY : CHURCH OF ST JAMES.
Church Post Code PE28 9DF
Open to visitors
It was time to move on; but only a short distance, heading west to neighbouring Hemingford Grey, and the church of St James where I was due to attend an Ash Wednesday service. Of all the churches to be found within the catchment area of my two sites looking at churches which surround Peterborough; there are few if any that are in more picturesque settings.
Set alongside the east bank of the River Great Ouse the river runs to the west of the church. A boat was moored up alongside the tower, no more than a few feet between boat and the west wall of the tower. Two benches were set up in the church grounds looking out across the river. The peaceful leafy lane leading to the church from the south east is equally as attractive, with beautiful cottages leading up to the church. So close is church from river than a sign up alongside the noticeboard on a previous visit read ‘No Fishing From Church Grounds’.
There was mention made of a village here at the time of the Domesday Survey, but no mention of a church or priest here at that time. In 1140 Payn of Hemingford began building a church here as well as building Hemingford Manor, which is still lived in today; making this one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in the country.
The village was given the name ‘Grey’ in 1276; named after the Grey family, the Lords of the Manor until their lands were seized by Henry VII during the 15th century
The original mid 12th century church is thought to have been an aisleless structure of nave and chancel with central tower. Early in the 13th century the aisles were added with the chancel being rebuilt and lengthened. During the second half of the 13th century the central tower was removed with north and south aisles each being extended by one bay to the east.
Around 1390 the west tower with spire was built with the spire being destroyed by a hurricane in 1741. The church was restored in 1859 with a new chancel arch added, the chancel restored and the north aisle being rebuilt at that time. The west tower was restored in 1914 and two periods of early 21st century restoration saw the chancel and nave restored.
The hurricane which caused the damage came about on the afternoon of September 8th 1741; a violent but short lived storm causing much damage throughout a narrow area. The church tower at Papworth Everard was blown down with the spires at Hemingford Grey and St Ives wrecked. The storm reached across the Norfolk border where the spire at Kings Lynn Minster fell through in to the nave.
There is a ring of eight bells here. At the time of Owen’s study there were six in the ring here, with two being added in 1988 by the Eijsbouts foundry in the Netherlands who I hadn’t come across before! Each of the other six are untouched from the time of Owen’s study in 1899.
Of the bells in Owen’s day five were cast in 1724 by Thomas Eayre of Kettering with one, the third of the ring, another from Eayre, being recast by Edward Arnold of St Neots in 1782.
The first of the ring is inscribed ‘GRATA SIT ARGUTA RESONANS CAMPANULA VOCE’ which translates as ‘Pleasant be the sound of this little bells clear voice’. Each of the others has the inscription ‘HIS NAXARENUS REX JUDOERIUM FILI DEI MISERER MEI GLORIA PATRI FILIO ET SPIRITUI SANCTO’. This translates as ‘Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews son of God have mercy on me. Glory to the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit’.
The church that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch, north vestry and chancel. Looking at the church from the south, the remains of what was an octagonal broach spire can still be seen. The church wardens of the day decided not to rebuild after the storm, with the remains of the spire capped over and decorated with ball finials.
The clerestory consists of four two light windows, with much rebuilding across the length of the clerestory; the top being finished in stone rather than rubble with a fine sundial attached to the eastern end. A plaque attached to the south wall of the nave shows a winged human skull; this symbolic of the flight of the soul to Heaven and a warning to those looking on that Man is mortal and will die’ so careful how you live and trust in God for your own time might be nearer than you think! Two scratch dials are set in to the south wall.
I was a little early for the service and photographed the exterior as the congregation was arriving; a healthy turn out for a midweek morning service and I was impressed to see that a mini bus had been laid on for residents of a retirement complex who wished to attend.
Moving inside and taking my seat in the north aisle; waiting for the service to start, I glanced across to the south aisle and saw what I thought was a window by Kempe; which did turn out to be the case. One thing that the last nearly two decades of churchcrawling has taught me is that being able to do this is not seen as an enviable trait by most people; and is not something that goes down well at parties, which is fine as I never get invited to any! There were a good number of people inside and my interior shots were a little limited in certain areas as a result; particularly around the north arcade.
The north and south arcades are each of three bays, with work dating from the 12th to 14th centuries; the north east circular pier being of particular interest with the eastern part of this being moulded with the western half being scalloped.
Moving from the Victorian chancel arch to the early 13 chancel there is ancient and modern to be seen with a 14th century double piscina against the south wall and aumbry of equal age to the north, with modern vertical banners with scripture from the Psalms flanking the east window.
The east window itself is of three lights and depicts scenes from Good Friday to Easter Sunday concerning women who followed Jesus. Central is the crucifixion with the three Mary’s alongside the cross; with John foregoing his traditional spot to the right of the cross as we look at it. The left hand light shows the same three in mourning at the tomb with above that John leading Mary the mother of Jesus away from the scene of crucifixion. The right hand light shows the Risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning; with wounds visible on hands feet and side, dressed in a symbolically blood red cloak.
Against the south wall of the chancel is more stained glass with two more scenes from Holy Week with Jesus carrying his own cross on the way to crucifixion, alongside Jesus at prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane ; a hand from above holding the cup from which Jesus will need to drink.
At the east end of the south aisle there is a three light window showing the scene from Acts Chapter 1 verse 11. The risen Christ is dressed in gold and white, wounds visible on hands; and is taken up towards Heaven. Two angels hold banners which read ‘Ye Men of Galilee Why Stand Ye Gazing Up In To Heaven’. The 11 disciples and what I assume is Mary the mother of Jesus stand below; some at prayer, others looking confused.
There is a small table at this east end, with a small gathering of chairs set out; a very pleasant space for small intimate gatherings, with the sun streaming in through the south windows. There is a piscina against the south wall indicating that the Mass was celebrated here in pre reformation days.
Against the south wall of the nave there was indeed a stained glass design by Kempe, which contains his traditional wheatsheaf signature in the bottom left hand corner. This again shows the Risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene. In this depiction though a spade is included in the background; this referring to Mary originally mistaking the Risen Christ for the gardener.
It was good to have been back in the Hemingfords again after a few years and this was the first time that I had seen inside the church at Hemingford Grey. We moved on, heading north towards Old Hurst, where we saw some Lions and an Emu at the zoo there. After an unsuccessful few minutes trying to figure out how to photograph the Lions with Old Hurst church in the background we headed east towards Somersham. Our Ash Wednesday crawl continued.