Church Heritage Record 627753

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Core DetailsLocationBuildingInteriorChurchyardSignificanceEnvironmentForumAudit

Astwood: St Peter

Name:

This is the church’s legal name as given by the Church Commissioners.

Astwood: St Peter
Record Type:

A classification of the current status of the building

Closed Church
Church code:

This is a unique identification number supplied to each church building by the Church Commissioners.

627753
Diocese:

Name of diocese in which the church building is located at the time of entry.

Oxford
Archdeaconry:

Name of archdeaconry in which the church building is located at the time of entry

Buckingham
Parish:

This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.

Sherington with Chicheley, North Crawley, Astwood and Hardmead

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Statutory Designation Information

Listed Building?

The decision to put a church building on the National Heritage List for England and assign it a listing grade is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision is normally based on recommendations made by Historic England, the government’s adviser on the historic environment.

This is a Grade II* Listed Building
View more information about this Listed Building on the National Heritage List for England web site
Scheduled Monument?

The decision to schedule a feature (building, monument, archaeological remains, etc.) located within the church building’s precinct or churchyard is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision is based on recommendations made by Historic England, the government’s adviser on cultural heritage.

There is no Scheduled Monument within the curtilage or precinct

National Park

National Parks are areas of countryside that include villages and towns, which are protected because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. In England, National Parks are designated by Natural England, the government’s advisor on the natural environment.

The church is not in a National Park

Conservation Area

Conservation areas are places of special architectural or historic interest where it is desirable to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of such areas. Conservation Areas are designated by the Local Council.

The church is not in a Conservation Area

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Heritage At Risk Status

On Heritage At Risk Register?

The Heritage at Risk programme is run and managed by Historic England, the government’s advisor on cultural heritage. It aims to protect and manage the historic environment, so that the number of ‘at risk’ historic places and sites across England are reduced.

This church is not on the Heritage at Risk Register
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Approximate Date

Approximate Date:

Selecting a single date for the construction of a church building can sometimes be very difficult as most CoE buildings have seen many phases of development over time. The CHR allows you to record a time period rather than a specific date.

The CHR records the time period for the building’s predominant fabric as opposed to the date of the earliest fabric or the church’s foundation date.

Medieval

Exterior Image

Exterior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter
Caption:

603242 

Exterior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter
Description:

It seems to be the wrong photograph. Provided coordinates come up with another church on geograph.org.uk

Photograph of the outside of the church as seen from the south-east.
Year / Date:

2011, April 06

October 2011
Copyright:

Keltek Trust

Archbishops' Council
Originator:

Keltek Trust

Joseph Elders

Summary Description

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The small Medieval church of St Peter is located at the north-western edge of the historic village of Astwood, which now stands on the south side of a busy road. Most of the architectural fabric and details are of the 14th century, but the church has developed over many phases of construction. It is constructed of limestone in a 3-bay nave with south aisle, west tower, chancel and south porch.

Visiting and Facilities

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The church is closed for worship.
Date closed for worship:
Work in progress - can you help?
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Church Website

Church Website:

www.holytrinitylyonsdown.org.uk

Work in progress - can you help?

Sources and Further Information

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Joseph Elders (October 2011) Exterior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
Exterior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter
Joseph Elders (October 2011) Interior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
Interior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter
James Miles (2018) Closed Churches [Digital Archive/Data]
Church Buildings Council (2019) Church Bells 3 Bells [Archive/Index]
3 Bells

If you notice any errors with the below outlines of your connected churchyards, please email heritageonline@churchofengland.org with the corrections needed.

This could include information on new churchyards, edits to the boundaries shown, or different land characteristics. 

We are working on adding the consecrated land found within local authority cemeteries, and in time, this data will be shown on the map.

Grid Reference: SP 950 473

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Administrative Area

Unitary Authority:

The administrative area within which the church is located.

Milton Keynes (B)

Location and Setting

This field describes the setting of the church building, i.e. the surroundings in which the church building is experienced, and whether or not it makes a positive or negative contribution to the significance of the building.

The small Medieval church of St Peter is located at the north-western edge of the historic village of Astwood, which now stands on the south side of a busy road, the A422, from Milton Keynes to Bedford. Kempton Racecourse is close and there are many stables in the area. The Swan Inn and Astwood Grange are Grade II listed and 17th century in parts, there is also a village hall adjacent to the Swan and a number of historic farmhouses.

A broad driveway through a farm type wooden gate leads to the church, with parking for three or four cars. The short church tower has some landscape value, the church stands in the south-western part of the small churchyard which is laid to grass, with several mature trees. A house is close to the west fenced boundary. There are monuments since the late 17th century concentrated around the south side, and two War Graves near the tower.

Church Plan

Work in progress - can you help?

Ground Plan Description and Dimensions

Ground Plan

Provide as written description of the ground plan of the church building and well as its dimensions.

3-bay nave with south aisle, west tower, chancel, south porch.

Dimensions

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

Nave 16m (52ft) x 5m (16ft), aisle 3m wide, chancel 9m (30ft) long.

Footprint of Church buildings (m2):

Small (<199m2)

Medium (200-599m2)

Large (600m-999m2)

Very Large (>1000m2)

226 m2

Description of Archaeology and History

This field aims to record the archaeological potential of the wider area around the building and churchyard, as well as the history of site.

Astwood is a historic village, the first mention of a church is in 1187 in regard to Tickford Priory holding the advowson of a chapel here, vicars are recorded since 1298. 12th and 13th century moulded stonework is said to be built into the upper tower. Most architectural details are now of the 14th century when the chancel was lengthened and aisle added, and the 15th when the tower was added. The clearstorey, aisle roof and some fittings are mid or late 16th century.

The church was hit by two German bombs in 1940 which damaged the nave and porch. The nave was unroofed until 1963 when a concrete truss roof was put in and the interior was renovated, work on the floors unearthed the 'Weston' brass now displayed in the church. More renovation was undertaken in the 1980s.

Archaeological remains can be expected on this site, and the local authority and HER should be consulted if any development is considered. There are no designations relating to the ecology, despite this the ancient churchyard is potentially an ecological reservoir, although no audit has been undertaken.

Exterior Description

This field aims to record a written description of the exterior of the church building and the churchyard.

3-stage short and thick embattled west tower of coursed rubble masonry with decreasing angle buttresses. Polygonal stair turret on south-west corner. Lozenge clock faces to south and north on middle stage, much renewed. 2-light belfry openings, alternately square-headed (east, west) and pointed.

Good unrestored 14th-century tracery to the south aisle windows which decrease in size from east to west, the easternmost a fine 3-light, the others 2-lights.   Late 15th- or early 16th-century clearstorey 3-light windows of plain arches and one square-headed similar north nave window below (but pointed on inside) in the east bay. In the west bay a blocked pointed 14th-century doorway.

The lower and steeply pitched chancel roof decked with tiles stands out from the rest of the building.  The north chancel wall is blind and concrete rendered but for a small square-headed cusped low-side window in the west bay, a partly blocked window in the west bay of the south walls has a stepped ledge inside, square-headed 2-light to the east bay.  East window is a fine tall pointed Perpendicular 3-light.

Architects, Artists and Associated People/Organisations

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Who:
Bruce Deacon Ltd
Role:
Architect / Surveyor ICM55
From:
To:
Contribution:

Building Fabric and Features

This field is an index of the building and its major components

Work in progress - can you help?

Building Materials

This field is an index of the building’s material composition

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Collapse Building MaterialsBuilding Materials
CONCRETE
LEAD
LIMESTONE
TILE

Interior Image

Interior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter
Caption:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Interior image of 627753 Astwood St Peter
Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Photograph of the inside of the church, looking east.
Year / Date:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
October 2011
Copyright:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Archbishops' Council
Originator:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Joseph Elders

Interior Description

This field aims to record a written description of the interior of the church building.

The tower is still used for bell ringing, the ringing floor enclosed within a wooden screen within the pointed tower arch. Attached to this are photographs of the church showing the war damage. Looking east, the walls are bare except for the aisle and chancel which are whitewashed, plain glazing throughout gives the interior a soft and mature ambience.

The nave roof has concrete trusses, but the aisle has a late 15th or early 16th structure. The floor of the nave is of concrete and boarding following the war damage, the nave seating is early 20th century benches. The south aisle however has benches with 16th century ends, straight-topped and moulded with buttresses.

Internal Fixtures and Fittings

This field is an index of the building’s internal, architectural components. This includes its internal spaces and those areas’ fixtures and fittings (building components which are securely fixed to the church or cathedral).

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Collapse Internal Fixtures and FittingsInternal Fixtures and Fittings
ALTAR (18th century)
BELL (1 of 3 U/R)
BELL (2 of 3 U/R)
BELL (3 of 3 U/R)
FONT (COMPONENT) (13th century)
LECTERN
PULPIT (18th century)

Portable Furnishings and Artworks

This field is an index of the building’s movable, non-fixed furnishings and artworks.

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Collapse Portable Furnishings and ArtworksPortable Furnishings and Artworks
BOOK (17th century +)

If you notice any errors with the below outlines of your connected churchyards, please email heritageonline@churchofengland.org with the corrections needed.

This could include information on new churchyards, edits to the boundaries shown, or different land characteristics. 

We are working on adding the consecrated land found within local authority cemeteries, and in time, this data will be shown on the map.

Grid Reference: SP 950 473

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Ecology

This field aims to record a description of the ecology of the churchyard and surrounding setting.

Work in progress - can you help?

Ecological Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

The everyday wildlife of burial grounds means much to those who visit and cherish them but many burial grounds are so rich in wildlife that they should be designated and specially protected. Few have the legal protection of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or, in the case of local authority owned cemeteries, Local Nature Reserve. This makes it even more important that they are cared for and protected by the people looking after them.

Many have a non-statutory designation as a recognition of their importance. These non-statutory designations have a variety of names in different regions including Local Wildlife Site, County Wildlife Site, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation or Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Local Wildlife Site is the most common name). Their selection is based on records of the most important, distinctive and threatened species and habitats within a national, regional and local context. This makes them some of our most valuable wildlife areas.

For example, many burial grounds which are designated as Local Wildlife Sites contain species-rich meadow, rich in wildflowers, native grasses and grassland fungi managed by only occasional mowing plus raking. When this is the case, many animals may be present too, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. This type of grassland was once widespread and has been almost entirely lost from the UK with approximately 3% remaining, so burial grounds with species-rich meadow managed in this way are extremely important for wildlife.

These designations should be considered when planning management or change.

If you think that this or any other burial ground should be designated please contact Caring for God’s Acre (info@cfga.org.uk) to discuss. Many eligible sites have not yet received a designation and can be surveyed and then submitted for consideration.

There are no SSSIs within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

There are no Local nature reserves within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

There are no Local Wildlife sites within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

Evidence of the Presence of Bats

This field aims to record any evidence of the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.

The church has no evidence of bats

Burial and War Grave Information

This field records basic information about the presence of a churchyard and its use as a burial ground.

It is unknown whether the church or churchyard is consecrated. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard is closed for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
The churchyard does not have war graves.

National Heritage List for England Designations

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There are no Listed Buildings within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

There are no Scheduled Monuments within the curtilage of this Closed Church.

Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees

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Churchyards are home to fantastic trees, in particular ancient and veteran trees which can be the oldest indication of a sacred space and be features of extraordinary individuality. The UK holds a globally important population of ancient and veteran yew trees of which three-quarters are found in the churchyards of England and Wales.

There are more than 1,000 ancient and veteran yews aged at least 500 years in these churchyards.

To put this in context, the only other part of western Europe with a known significant yew population is Normandy in northern France, where more than 100 ancient or veteran churchyard yews have been recorded.

Burial grounds may contain veteran and ancient trees of other species such as sweet chestnut or small-leaved lime which, whilst maybe not so old as the yews, are still important for wildlife and may be home to many other species.

Specialist advice is needed when managing these wonderful trees. For more information or to seek advice please contact Caring for God’s Acre, The Ancient Yew Group and The Woodland Trust.

If you know of an ancient or veteran tree in a burial ground that is not listed here please contact Caring for God’s Acre.

NameStatusNumber found in this site 
Common yew Notable tree 1

Churchyard Structures

This field is an index of the churchyard’s components.

Work in progress - can you help?

Significance

Setting Significance Level:

Significance is the whole set of reasons why people value a church, whether as a place for worship and mission, as an historic building that is part of the national heritage, as a focus for the local community, as a familiar landmark or for any other reasons.

Moderate
Setting Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Considerable landscape value being a key component of the village, and the site has some archaeological value.
Fabric Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Moderate
Fabric Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
The church has considerable architectural value.
Interior Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Moderate
Interior Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Some furnishings are of considerable significance, others are of local significance.
Community Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Community Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Church Renewables

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Open the map of church renewable installations
Solar PV Panels:

This information forms part of the Shrinking the Footprint project.

No
Solar Thermal Panels:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
No
Bio Mass:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
No
Air Source Heat Pump:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
No
Ground Source Heat Pump:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
No
Wind Turbine:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
No
EV Car Charging:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Unknown

Species Summary

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All of the species listed below have been recorded in close proximity to the Closed Church . A few species which are particularly threatened and affected by disturbance may not be listed here because their exact location cannot be shared.

NOTE: Be aware that this dataset is growing, and the species totals may change once the National Biodiversity Network has added further records. Species may be present but not recorded and still await discovery.

CategoryTotal species recorded to date
TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIES RECORDED 0
Total number of animal species 0
Total number of plant species 0
Total number of mammal species 0
Total number of birds 0
Total number of amphibian and reptile species 0
Total number of invertebrate species 0
Total number of fungi species 0
Total number of mosses and liverworts (bryophytes) 0
Total number of ferns 0
Total number of flowering plants 0
Total number of Gymnosperm and Ginkgo 0

Caring for God’s Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.

To learn more about all of the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.

‘Seek Advice’ Species

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

If any of the following species have been seen close to the Closed Church, it is important to seek advice from an expert. You will need to know if they are present now, and to follow expert recommendations when planning works. All of these species have specific legal protection as a recognition of their rarity. All of them are rare or becoming increasingly endangered, so it is important to ensure that management and other works do not adversely affect them. In addition, there may be things you can do to help these special species. N.B. Swift and House Martin do not have specific legal protection but are included, as roof repair works often impact breeding swifts and house martins which is against the law.

This is not a complete list of protected species, there are many more, but these are ones that are more likely to be found. All wild birds, their nests and eggs are also protected by law, as are all bats and veteran trees. In a few cases, species are considered particularly prone to disturbance or destruction by people, so the exact location of where they were recorded is not publicly available but can be requested. These ‘blurred’ records are included here, and the accuracy is to 1km. This means that the species has been recorded in close proximity to the Closed Church, or a maximum of 1km away from it. As these ‘blurred’ species are quite mobile, there is a strong likelihood that they can occur close to the Closed Church. To learn about these special species, use the link provided for each species in the table below

One important species which is not included here is the Peregrine Falcon. This is protected and advice should be sought if peregrines are nesting on a church or cathedral. Peregrine records are ‘blurred’ to 10km, hence the decision not to include records here. Remember too that species not seriously threatened nationally may still be at risk in your region and be sensitive to works. You should check with local experts about this. You may also need to seek advice about invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and aquatics colonising streams or pools, which can spread in churchyards.

N.B. If a species is not recorded this does not indicate absence. It is always good practice to survey.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre can help and support you in looking after the biodiversity present in this special place. If you know that any of these species occur close to the Closed Church and are not recorded here, please contact Caring for God’s Acre with details (info@cfga.org.uk).

To find out more about these and other species recorded against this Closed Church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas.

The church was the centre of many people’s lives and remains a guide to their cares and concerns. Glimpses into those lives have often come down to us in the stories we heard as children or old photographs discovered in tattered shoe boxes. Perhaps your ancestors even made it into local legend following some fantastic event? You can choose to share those memories with others and record them for future generations on this Forum.

Tell us the story of this building through the lives of those who experienced it. Tell us why this church is important to you and your community.

Upload your photographs, share your videos, or compose your story below using a Facebook, Twitter, Google or Disqus account.

Refresh
WhoActionWhen
Oliver LackModified asset data - Modified the Summary DescriptionMon 05 Sep 2022 14:14:27
Anna CampenModified asset data - Modified the Significance descriptionFri 26 May 2017 12:57:00
Anna CampenAdded object typeFri 26 May 2017 12:55:03
Anna CampenAdded interior feature typeFri 26 May 2017 12:53:02
Anna CampenAdded interior feature typeFri 26 May 2017 12:52:08
Anna CampenAdded interior feature typeFri 26 May 2017 12:51:25
Anna CampenAdded interior feature typeFri 26 May 2017 12:51:00
Anna CampenAdded interior feature typeFri 26 May 2017 12:48:45
Anna CampenModified asset data - Modified the Interior DescriptionFri 26 May 2017 12:48:22
Anna CampenAdded image of the interior of the buildingFri 26 May 2017 12:46:11
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