Wood Walton

St Andrew was declared redundant in 1972 and came under the auspices of the Friends of Friendless Churches in 1979. When they took it on subsidence was a major problem, its built on clay, and whilst a huge amount of conservation has occurred there's still a lot to do.

The FFT site says: "St Andrew’s is one of the most acute of all the conservation challenges faced by the Friends. The church has been moving for a century or more and it was this coupled with its remoteness which led to its abandonment thirty years ago. We have repaired the exterior since then and have been monitoring the internal movement before resorting to a full scale programme of conservation."

"We have applied to English Heritage for grant aid but have a lot more to do to ensure this church is repaired and restored for future generations."

 Apart from for Ride and Stride the church is kept locked.

ST ANDREW. Outside the village, by the railway line. Dec W tower with pyramid roof. Dec chancel with straight-headed windows, including a low-side window. The S arcade is E.E., of four bays with two round piers and arches of one step and one chamfer. The W pier and W respond and the E respond are Perp. Perp also the N arcade. The piers are double-chamfered, the outer chamfers continuous, the inner with capitals, two with shields, two with crenellation. - STAINED GLASS. In a chancel N window two complete C14 figures. - PLATE. Cup of 1821-2. - MONUMENTS. An unusual number of early coffin lids with foliated crosses.

WOOD WALTON. It gathers round a green with chestnuts shading an old cross. For 17 centuries it had a secret hoard of money, several urns containing some 2000 early Roman coins which were found last century ; but its treasure is the church among the fields. It has a little glass among the oldest in the county, rare fragments that were glowing here 600 years ago. In it is St Catherine in blue and gold, and St Laurence in a green robe. The glass is in the 14th century chancel. The south arcade is 13th century, and there is a stone coffin lid which may have been here when it was built. The north arcade has embattled capitals like tiny castles.

Flickr.