Orton Waterville. CHURCH : st mary
Orton Waterville is village that is just down the road from Orton Longueville, a little further West heading away from Peterborough. Expansion of Peterborough has left Orton Waterville another village that has major developments on its doorstep.
This church had a profound effect on me as a small child, and started a love of these buildings that has lasted a lifetime. In the early 1970's this church had a cross on top of the tower, that used to be lit up in the preiod before Christmas. I was fascinated by this as a seven year old, not having seen anything like this before. A cross is still lit up all those years later. This was one of the first churches that I visited whilst photographing for this site. Some very friendly locals showed me around, showing an obvious pride in their church.
This church was originally built in the early 12th Century, as a private chapel for the Waterville family. Sadly though, as someone who is interested in gargoyles and grotesques, this church was memorable for what it had lost rather than what it has! Lots of damaged gargoyles here. Sad to see, especially as they are few and far between anyway in this part of the country!
Interested to see a slate grave for Fred Bason from London, who was laid to rest here in 1973. Evidently he was a diarist of some repute, and according to his stone he was a modern Samuel Pepys!
Believe it or not but the snowbound photographs were actually taken on Easter Sunday 2008! More photographs taken that day can be found in a page entitled "White Easter" which can be found by scrolling down under the welcome tab. Also look in page for Alwalton and page for Chesterton (both in Cambs A - H section of the site.
