St. Lawrence Church, located in the small village of Ayot St. Lawrence is a picturesque, dilapidated ruin set in the west of the village. Built of flint with stone dressings to compliment, the church is in a dishevelled state which although sad to see, does make for an idyllic scene. Discerning the Remnants
The original church is thought to have consisted of a chancel and nave built c. 1150. The 13th century saw the north aisle constructed, part of the ‘early English’ remodeling of the church during the period. A century later bore witness to the building of the north chapel or ‘patrons chapel’. The nave was partly rebuilt and the chancel built and extended using the existing foundations. The 15th century saw the north aisle extended and embattled tower built towards the end of the 15th/early 16th century. It is made of three stages and is still roofed. The north-west corner of the tower contains a tomb-chest sporting badly damaged effigies of a knight and lady of the early 15th century. The octagonal font present is also in a bad way. Repair work is evident, with buttresses and filler works helping to maintain what is left of the roofless church.
A Room without a View
How did such a church become so dilapidated? The answer lies in nearby Ayot Manor whose once owner Sir Lionel Lyde, a tobacco merchant from Bristol, felt St. Lawrence was a blemish on the landscape adjacent to his new Georgian redbrick mansion built in 1775. To rid himself of such blight he arranged for the church to be pulled down. The Bishop of Lincoln, whose diocese encompassed the area in which the church stood, managed to halt proceedings. The church was never rebuilt and so lies as a romantic ruin to this day. Sir. Lionel built a new neo-classical church on the grounds of his house to replace St. Lawrence. A picture of this is below.
Paying a Visit
The church is open most of the year round. Even if the gate is locked an excellent view is still provided.
Sources
- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43580
- Hertfordshire - N Pevsner - Yale University Press; 2nd New edition of Revised edition edition (1 Jan 1963) - ISBN 0300096119
The church facing north-west.
Main entrance. Contains small amounts of 12th-century masonry.
14th-century arch which leads from the chapel into the chancel is evident on the right. 15th-century nave window to the left.
Looking throught the nave and into where the now destroyed chancel would have been. 13th-century arch connecting the north aisle to the chapel visible on the left.
Early 15th-century tomb and effergies of a knight and lady.
Showing the tomb-chest's detail.
Damaged octagonal font.
Filled in staircase presumably leading to the tower.
Neo-Classical church built by Sir Lionel Clyde to replace St. Lawrence Church.Pictures taken 16th June 2010.
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