Greatford. CHURCH : ST THOMAS A BECKET

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I made two visits to the church of Thomas A Becket, Greatford. To say that weather conditions were contrasting is an understatement. Came back from my first trip with slight sunburn, and had to spend 45 minutes or so in the porch on my next visit as heavy rain belted down!

  According to the informative information brochure available in the church, the bottom of the tower dates from the first half of the 13th Century. An addition was made half way through that century, with the top of the spire being added in the first quarter of the 14th Century. Much of the main body of the church dates from the 14th Century, but it is thought that a blocked doorway on the North wall is Norman, dating from 1080 - 1150 or thereabouts.

  For pure age though, nothing can compete with the Roman coffin that sits by the side of the porch. This was found in the vicinity and is thought to date from the second half of the 4th Century. It contained the skeleton of an adult male, aged around 40, who had a Nene Valley bowl, and two glass goblets buried with him.

  Some delightful stained glass is to be found in this church, mostly Victorian. For me though, the highlight of the interior of the church was a very ornate, but quite weathered, font. Remarkably, there wasn't any mention of this in the information leaflet.

  Looking upwards, four grotesques sit proudly on the spire. One took my fancy in particular, wide eyed and licking his lips! Elsewhere in the grounds, two ancient tombstones stand in the North West, these are said to date from 13th Century. In the East of the church grounds stands a memorial to one Charles Charity who was one of four people killed when a granary floor collapsed whilst they were working.