Colne

I was on my way to Peterborough and its environs when the radio announced that the A1 northbound was closed following an accident, so I took the next exit off the A14 and headed cross country. This resulted in two unplanned visits the first of which was St Helen [open]. I liked the exterior, and even more so when I discovered it was a new build of 1896-1900 [the old church collapsed], but found the inside rather dull - this may have been partly due to the overcast conditions.

The second unexpected church was Chatteris in Cambridgeshire.

ST HELEN. 1896-1900 by Fawcett of Cambridge, with materials of the old church, e.g. the piers and arches of the arcade, the PISCINA in the S aisle, a tower lancet, etc. The tower is at the SW end and has a lead spike. - ORGAN CASE. A pretty, early C19 piece.
OLD CHURCH, 600 yds WNW of the new church along a lane. All that survives is the S porch. The entrance has a basket arch.

COLNE. It is tranquillity among the orchards, which are a stirring picture in spring. It has a small green, a pond, old cottages, and a new church with many stones from the old one which fell down. Only its 16th century porch is standing, a pathetic guardian of what was once a lovely place; but the neat little church built in our own day keeps some of its 13th and 14th century windows, an arcade of 600 years ago, and fragments of ancient coffins and crosses; and the children of Colne are still christened at the font from the poor lost church.

A little way from the village is what is known as Camp Ground, the site of a village where fishermen and hunters lived in Roman days. It covers about 15 acres, and has traces of huts and docks where the boats of the Fen people were kept nearly 20 centuries ago.

Flickr.