I thought my aunt & uncle were bonkers when they said they loved to wander around small old country churches. Fast forward a couple of decades... and... I can't resist peeking into ancient small churches. There's something very reassuring about their long-standing structures, some dating back almost 1000 years, with such a strong sense of peace, and permanence.
I'm usually drawn by a simple structure in a lovely location, then become intrigued by some details I spot, which lead me to research the local area, and then to get side-tracked into reading more and mulling on the origin of names, or trying to decipher some of the 'churchy' language... How about 'three-trefoiled ogee light with reticulated tracery within a two-centred, double-chamfered arch'?! ...
Once you dig a little deeper some of the simplest places turn out to be full of amazing history. This is St. Michael and All Angels by Downholme in Swaledale.
In the adjoining field you can see lynchets and remains of ridge-and-furrow farming system. The village itself (why isn't it next to the church), is surrounded by signs of medieval farming, a former possibly Iron Age hill fort, evidence of lead-mining and a lime kiln, as well as a great pub and a story about an underground tunnel leading to Ellerton Abbey. I was interested to read that In 1841, the village population was around 110 with many working at the lime kiln. There was a school, 2 shoemakers, 4 wheelwrights and 2 butchers in the village at that time.
Ever feel drawn into visiting these beautiful places?