COTTERSTOCK. CHURCH ST.ANDREW
I first visited the church of St Andrew in September 2006, on the very first day of shooting for this site. I had taken delivery of a new cycle and headed excitedly in to East Northants, starting off with Elton, and then crossing the border, taking in Nassington, Fotheringhay, Tansor and ending up at Cotterstock.
That first day, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to go ahead with this site. Lots of work, lots of travelling. The simple fact is that I didn't know at that time if I wanted to spend my weekends and holidays going around looking at churches! And then that first Saturday I came in to Cotterstock from Tansor, turned the corner and saw this lovely church, nestling close to the river Nene, with a beautiful white horse (who I was later told was called George) standing in the field in front of it. Well, that was it. I was hooked from that time on!
For me, Cotterstock is one of those special places. I have been there several times, taking a packed lunch and sitting on the bench in the quiet, looking out over the fields stretching down to the banks of the Nene. East Northants is a lovely, and very overlooked place, with Cotterstock being one of the jewels in the crown.
Cotterstock has history going back to Roman times with a Roman Villa being discovered in the mid 18th Century. In the early Thirteenth Century Cotterstock was home to a privately run religious college. This was founded by John Gifford, who at one time had been Rector of Cotterstock. This college was home to a Provost, 12 Chaplains and two clerks. Daily Mass was said, praying for the King and Queen and their children, and to pray for their souls after death.Prayers were also said for John Gifford and his family and for the benefactors of the college. John Gifford was to fall victim of the Black Death in 1349, and the college was to be dissolved in February 1536.
The church is reached by going down a tree lined avenue. An elaborate effigy of a man rests in a niche half way up the West tower, with a grotesque figure underneath the niche. According to the internet, the doorway on the west tower is re-set and dates from the 12th Century, making this the earliest surviving part of the church. Both tower and porch are castellated with three animal figures over the top of the porch. The figure at the apex of the porch is leashed with all three baying at the sky. These figures are by no means uncommon with similar seen on the porch at Yaxley and on the tower at Glatton.
On the south wall sit some gargoyles of very, very high quality. Judging by how crisp the carvings are I would think that they might be no earlier than Victorian, but they really are of high quality, with eyes upturned towards heaven being a nice touch. The church eas extended in 1876, and I would think that these gargoyles might have been added at that time.
The area around Cotterstock is not be overlooked with regards the past importance of religious worship. It is easy to look at the areas to the east of Peterborough with Thorney Abbey and Crowland Abbey as being the most important places historically within the catchment area of this site. However, here we have Cotterstock with its private college, two miles away the village of Fotheringhay with its magnificent church, and the castle mound where Mary Queen Of Scots was imprisoned and executed. Whilst just over the fields we have Nassington, an important place of worship in days long gone, with its Prebandol Manor attracting many tourists.
The church of St Andrew is kept locked, with the key available from a house in the village. Say hello to George the white horse if you decide to visit!
