Upton (Huntingdon). CHURCH : st margaret
August Bank Holiday Monday, and an early start to visit one of the further flung outposts in the catchment area of this site. This was a visit to the church of St Margaret at Upton. Not to be confused with the village of the same name near to Castor, this Upton is close to Alconbury Weston.
The day dawned cloudy and blustery but the sun was scheduled to make an appearance according to the Met Office, and indeed it did, sadly though this was after I was back home later that afternoon. As a result, exterior photographs of the church are not as I would have liked. Will try and improve the quality of them at some point in the future.
This was a reasonably long cycle ride, and having been out of the saddle for a few weeks, I did have a few problems by the end of the day. Twenty years ago I used to be able to make it up Lutton hill on my racing cycle with few problems. These days though, as a slightly overweight 43 year old with a bad back, I get off at the bottom and walk up, remembering those long gone days when my body worked a little better!
And on the subject of Lutton, I don't know what they are putting on the fields over that way but the stench was incredible! I like Lutton and have always found it a pleasant place to visit. However, I will not be rushing to move there any time soon and it is probably not a good place for a picnic!
Anyway, on past Lutton, the Giddings and Hamerton with its wildlife park, and I arrived at Upton in just over an hour and a quarter. With a blustery head wind for most of the way it felt a lot longer!
Upton, as you would expect from the "ton" in the name is an ancient village and was adjacent to Ermine Street, a major Roman road. It is also close to Huntingdon and Godmanchester, both major Roman settlements. There was a church here in Upton at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. St Margaret's has undergone many series of restoration over the years, with the last being in the 1870's when the church was fully restored. The tower and spire date from the 15th Century, whilst the earliest surviving part is the South doorway, dating from the 12th Century.
When I arrived there was some cleaning work going on inside, removing bat droppings I was told by a friendly local. The floors were wet so I didn't ask if I could look inside. Just shot one basic interior shot from the porch.
Setting wise, this church is set in very picturesque surroundings. Central in the village, the church is close to the village pond. An avenue of trees lead up to the South Porch. Very attractive indeed. Gargoyles surround the tower. However, these are very weathered and are much poorer in quality than others seen in that locality.
Looks as if there had been subsidance in the church grounds over the years with several of the gravestones leaning over at various angles. Church grounds were well maintained and cared for by people who obviously like their church and their village. In the short time that I was there I saw as many horses as cars. Peaceful and idyllic. A pleasant visit.
Left Upton and headed off in the direction of Buckworth. After that my scheduled visit to Spaldwick was abandoned due to ever worsening light quality.
Apologies again for the quality of some of the exterior shots on this page. Light quality was, at best, indifferent and exterior shots suffered as a result. At some point in 2009 I hope to spend a few days in the Huntingdon area and will re-visit Upton in better conditions. If you thought that these photographs are dull then you should see the exterior shots of nearby Buckworth!
