About the middle of January, I was walking to school one afternoon when it occurred to me that I must have visited quite a few churches on my explorations. I started counting them. But I quickly ran out of fingers, so when I got home I plotted them on Google Maps.
Not only was the number much higher than I was expecting, it was also tantalisingly close to one hundred. Only a few dozen to go. So of course, every walk since then has had to include at least one church! Last Monday I visited my hundredth church: St John the Baptist, Dethick. It was a beautiful little 13-century building with an unusual tower - I was glad it had claimed the 100 spot.
I haven't been inside every church. Sometimes they were locked; sometimes I was in a hurry and didn't try the door. St Leonard's Church in Alton had bellringers practicing, and I almost interrupted a funeral when I stuck my head through the door of St Mary's, Marston-on-Dove. A few, such as St Oswald's, Ashbourne, and St Wystan's in Repton, are definitely on my list to revisit and look around properly.
On the map, blue pins show churches I've been inside, and red pins are the ones where I've only seen the outside. I've tried to include only churches that I've actually walked to (there are several more in Derby which I've been to for other reasons, for example). Most are Church of England, with a few honourable exceptions. Non-conformist chapels are often interesting, but less likely to be open - or indeed, still be active churches. Many are now private houses.
Most of the churches are in Derbyshire, with a handful or two each in Staffordshire and Leicestershire. I haven't added any Nottinghamshire churches to my list yet.
I am not an expert on church architecture or decoration, so my impression of a church is influenced as much by the signs in the porch, the quirkiness of the location, and the sense of the people who meet there, as by any architectural merit. And sometimes, it's just got a nice bench right when I needed one! Every church has something unique and interesting about it, so choosing ten churches out of a hundred is quite difficult, but here goes.
Ten Highlights
St Cuthbert's, Doveridge
A massive yew in the churchyard and a welcoming sign on the door made this quite special. The yew is 1400 years old, and legend says that Robin Hood was married underneath it. The Doveridge history page describes the church as "a conglomeration of architectural styles". I visited with Graham on 17 June 2024.
All Saints', Nailstone
Churches weren't so high on my agenda when I was walking the National Forest Way. I went into the yellow-painted St Mary's, Rosliston, where the minister was waiting for schoolchildren to arrive for a service, and parked near St Matthew's, Overseal, perched above the village crossroads. But I had a particularly fond memory of All Saints', Nailstone, as being a beautiful place to eat lunch after I'd slogged across a slippery, splashy, muddy field. I sat on a bench and soaked in the sunshine on 6 November 2023.
Ashbourne Methodist Church
This was where I started the Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk, which I turned into a mini-pilgrimage, journeying from Ashbourne to Derby Cathedral. There were a few people I was concerned for at the time, and I prayed for them here and along the walk. Ashbourne Methodist is currently undergoing a big building project. It probably looks quite different already than when I was there on 5 February 2024.
All Saints', Dalbury
The Bonnie Prince Charlie route took me past several village churches. Dalbury was actually off the route, but in the same general area. It's a gorgeous little place, with an alabaster pulpit and the oldest stained glass in Derbyshire. Walking to it is recommended; it's down a tiny lane with no space to park at the end. I walked to Sutton on the Hill, Dalbury and Trusley churches on 27 February 2024.
St Michael's, Rocester
Most churches, if open, are unoccupied. I enjoy being able to look around without interruption, and I appreciate the trust shown by leaving these beautiful buildings for anyone to walk in. Some go further in hospitality by providing free tea and coffee. At St Michael's, a meeting was just finishing as Graham and I sat on a bench outside to eat our lunch. Several people urged us to go inside and get a hot drink. We didn't actually take up the offer, but I chalked up top marks for welcome. That was the start of the Limestone Way, on 1 July 2024.
St Mary's and St Barlok's, Norbury
John Leonard, in Derbyshire Parish Churches, says, "Every county seems to have at least one odd dedication... Derbyshire has St Barlok." Apparently he was an Irish bishop. I didn't quite walk to St Mary's and St Barlok's when I went from Ellastone to Mayfield, but I got very close. Norbury Manor is owned by the National Trust. It's only open on Thursdays, but I grabbed the opportunity to go on 1st August 2024, and was very glad I did. The Old Manor is a medieval hall, restored in the 20th century and set in a lovely peaceful garden. The church is huge; the west window would suit a cathedral. There were fragments of Saxon crosses and the tomb of a knight from the 14th century. Definitely worth a visit.
St Mildred's, Whiston
This church in the Staffordshire Moorlands is unusual for two reasons. The first is its name; it's one of only thirteen churches in the world dedicated to St Mildred. The second is that it is built out of an old copper mill. The villagers transported tonnes of stone from the old mill to the church site, and rebuilt the arches to form their new church. I found it on a wonderful walk on 16 September 2024, and revisited it (along with the small but pleasant church at Foxt) with my mum on 18 November 2024.
Milldale Chapel
These three final churches were all part of the Peak Pilgrimage, which Toby and I did in three days in May 2024. Starting at Holy Cross, Ilam, we walked up Dovedale, and Milldale Chapel was the second church on our list. It is a tiny building with no water or electricity - there are candle holders on the walls. We were delighted to add our first sticker and stamp to our Peak Pilgrimage guidebook (Ilam had run out) on 30 May 2024.
St Leonard's, Monyash
By the second day of the pilgrimage we had settled into a routine at each church: collect the stamp and sticker, make a donation, sign the visitors book. Toby's task was the visitors book, and he would always look to see how far back the dates went. At St Leonard's, Monyash, we hit the jackpot. There was a historical visitors book on display which had entries from 1905! That's still only a small fraction of the church's thousand-year history. We signed our names on 31 May 2024.
St Lawrence's, Eyam
The third day was the longest, and included the most churches. We visited seven! St Lawrence's Church was the one we were most pleased to see, as it marked the finish. It was also the church which set up the Peak Pilgrimage. We were so focused on our certificates of completion that I can't tell you much about the church. I'm fairly sure it had a display about the plague. Eyam was famously the village which isolated itself in 1665 to protect its neighbours from infection. It worked, but at great cost to the inhabitants. Toby and I finished our pilgrimage there on 1 June 2024.
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| Collecting our certificates |
There are still plenty more churches to visit in the local area, so I expect to continue adding to my map for some time. I may even make it into Nottinghamshire!
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