THE STUKELEY'S
LITTLE STUKELEY : CHURCH OF ST MARTIN
Church Post Code PE28 4BQ
Church opened by arrangement
It was a cold and dreary February morning in 2025, and a revisit to the Stukeley’s, Little and Great. Little Stukeley can be found some three miles north west of Huntingdon, with the village set alongside Ermine Street, the site of the major Roman road that connected London to York. Peterborough is a further 20 miles or so off to the north. The population of the village at the time of the 2021 census was 764.
Close to the village is RAF Alconbury, which was set up in 1938 and which was used by the United States Airforce from 1942. Things are a lot quieter in the area these days, with the base no longer used for flights, with much of the grounds and the runway sold off for a new settlement called Alconbury Weald.
The village was listed in the Domesday Survey of 1086, with a church and priest listed here at that time.
The church of St Martin at Little Stukeley stands set back from the main road; on raised ground, in a quiet and peaceful location, with the church having some attractive old cottages as neighbours. The top of the battlemented, pinnacled tower sticks out above the trees as the visitor approached the church from the south. There was a distinctly rural feel here with chickens roaming around the church grounds when I first visited here back in 2007.
As was mentioned earlier, there was a church here at the time of the Domesday Survey and this was liable to have been a basic wooden structure. The church here was rebuilt by Archdeacon Henry of Huntingdon in the 12th century. The church that we see today dates mainly from the 13th century but incorporates much 12th century material. It consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch, north and south chapels and chancel.
This 12th century structure appears to have been a simple two cell structure of aisleless nave and chancel, parts of which still survive today. To this, a north aisle and west tower was added during the 13th century. Early in the 14th century, the chancel was rebuilt and a north chapel added.
Around 1500 the nave and arcades were rebuilt and there was much restoration work undertaken here during the 17th century, with the south porch being rebuilt in 1652, the belfry stage of the tower in 1659 and the north aisle in 1673. Restoration in the late 1880’s included the north chapel being turned in to a vestry.
Looking at the church from the south this really is a very attractive village church. In my original website I commented that if anyone asked to be taken to a small, attractive village church then you could do far worse than to bring them here.
The west tower is heavily buttressed and battlemented, with crocketed pinnacles to the four corners. A close look shows some rebuilding work in the tracery of the windows, which looks to be fairly modern. Reset shafts from the earlier church have been incorporated in to the lower stage of the south face of the tower. A frieze runs along the top of the tower with a repeated quatrefoil design to the south and a series of blind arcades on other sides. Grotesques in the form of mythical beasts stand central on each side.
Entrance is through the battlemented south porch, which has a date stamp of 1652 over the top of the shallow ogee archway, with initials of what I assume to be the church wardens of the day carved in to one of the battlements. The clerestory stage is very short, with just two windows. Nave runs seamlessly in to chancel. A pleasing exterior, even when viewed on a dull winter’s day.
As with neighbouring Alconbury, plenty of carved heads look out from the nave. These include one beast with bulging eyes, which tongue out in gesture of insult. Close by we have what appears to be a lion’s head which has two bodies. A beautifully carved depiction of a bearded man wearing a cloak encrusted with orange lichen, peer out through weathered away eyes at those approaching from the south.
When Revd Owen published his study of the church bells in Huntingdonshire, which was published in 1899, there were four bells in the ring, and that is still the situation today. The first and second of the ring are both from Newcombe of Leicester, with the second being inscribed ‘S Martina’. The National Church Bell Database just attributes these two bells to the Newcombe foundry but there were eight different members of the Newcombe family active between 1570 and 1612; the bells dating from that period!
The third was cast by Joseph Eayre of St Neots in 1759 with this bell having inscribed the names Joseph White and Edward Cocks, the churchwardens of the day.
The fourth was cast by Richard Holdfeld, who worked out of Cambridge. This bell was cast in 1607 and is inscribed ‘Non sono animabus mortuorum sed auribus vivencium’ which translates as ‘I sound not for the souls of the dead but for the ears of the living’
Owen goes on to mention that a date of 1659 is carved on to the bell frame, along with the initials of the church wardens of the day. This date corresponds to the rebuilding of the top of the tower.
The visitor enters in through the south porch, with angels on guard on either side of the inner doorway, with a holy water stoup alongside. A curious carving of a bearded human figure peers upside down at those entering.
The fixtures and fitting here, both in the nave and chancel date from the time of Victorian restoration, with the north chapel converted in to a vestry at that time; partitioned off from the nave with an oak screen. A rug runs the length of the nave, and up to the altar, over Victorian floor tiles, running past the chancel arch which dates from around 1500. The altar is plain and simple, with oak reredos behind. The 15th century east window is of three lights and clear glass. A mutilated piscina, which would have been used on washing the ceremonial objects used in the mass in pre reformation times, can be seen in its usual position against the south wall of the chancel.
There are two bay arcades to north and south, with these dating from 1500 and incorporating much reused 13th century material. The piers are octagonal as are the moulded capitals. To the north there is a large bracket supported by a finely carved angel, which I assume once supported a statue in pre reformation times.
A bricked in doorway, high up to the north of the chancel arch is the door to the rood loft, which would have been taken down after the reformation. A rood screen would have separated nave from chancel with the rood loft above containing a carving of the crucifixion, with Mary the mother of Jesus and John, alongside the cross. These were hated by the reformers as being idolatrous and destroyed accordingly.
With the exception of a little medieval stained glass high up in a tracery window to the south, the only stained glass here is a very modern depiction of the Nativity at the west end of the nave.
Moving in to the south chapel there are two wall mounted brackets, similar to that seen in the north arcade. British History on line notes that there were bequests during the 15th and 16th centuries to Our Lady of Grace and the Light of St George at the church of Little Stukeley and these may have come about as a result of those bequests.
Of the two in the south chapel, each are finely carved with one depicting a winged female figure holding what could be a prayer book. To me though, the other figure is of greater historic interest. This shows a human figure which has had its face partially erased. Perhaps we can see the hands of the restorers during the reformation who may have objected to the subject matter of this, for whatever reason.
Moving outside, there are some finely carved gravestones here, dating back to the 18th century. A couple have the ‘deaths head’, a carving of a human skull designed to remind the onlooker that Man is mortal and will die. One of the deaths heads here is depicted alongside palm leaves. The palm leaf was an often used symbol of victory, with the victory here being over death; with this being seen as a testament as to the faith of the deceased.
It was time to head off, on foot walking the short distance south to neighbouring Great Stukeley; past the jet that has stood outside the gates of the airbase for many years. The tower of St Bartholomew at Great Stukeley came in to view to the south west. I had kept my fingers crossed that it was to remain dry. The forecast was that it was to stay dry until mid afternoon but that seemed as if it was a little optimistic!
GT STUKELEY : CHURCH OF ST BARTHOLOMEW
Church Post Code PE28 4AL
Church opened by arrangement
It was a short southerly walk from Little to Great Stukeley along the site of Ermine Street, the old Roman road which connected London to Lincoln; another ten minutes walking in the same direction would have seen me on the outskirts of Huntingdon. Great Stukeley recorded a population of 713 at the time of the 2021 census. The church here is dedicated to St Bartholomew and can be found at the western edge of the village.
The weather was closing in but it stayed dry during my time at Great Stukeley. It was good to see inside the church here; this being one of the few that I had not gained access to over the years. The church here is normally closed to visitors but was very helpful in opening up, for which I was very grateful.
The visitor approached the church from the east, under the watchful gaze of a thatched peacock which sits on top of a nearby 17th century thatched cottage. The Grade II Listed village war memorial stands at the side of the path which leads to the south porch; this recording the names of 17 men who fell during the First World War, with a plaque added which records the name of two who were killed during World War II.
There was mention of a village during the Domesday Survey, with the land owned by Eustace the Sherriff and Countess Judith, with a church and a priest noted in the land belonging to the latter. Countess Judith is an interesting character; being the niece of William the Conqueror. She held land in 14 places before the Norman Conquest with this rising to 193 after the conquest. She founded Elstow Abbey in Bedfordshire in 1075, along with several other churches. The ancient parish of Sawtry Judith was named after her and her son in law Simon de St. Liz the Earl of Northampton and Huntingdon, founded the Abbey of Sawtry in the parish in 1147.
Nothing remains of that original church, which may have been a basic wooden structure, but some stonework built in to the present walls indicates that there was a stone church at Great Stukeley during the 12th century.
The church that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch and chancel. The oldest parts of the present church is the north arcade which dates from around 1250. The south aisle, south arcade and the chancel all are of a slightly later date. During the early part of the 14th century, the wide north aisle was built and there was some major rebuilding here during the 15th century. The chancel arch was rebuilt around 1430 with the south porch added around 1470. At the same time the clerestories were added and the building of the west tower was started, which was ongoing for some time.
The church here was restored during the mid 19th century, with a further period between 1909 and 1910.
I had visited here before, back on a bright and sunny day in late April 2015; a lazy Saturday morning with the church in a picturesque setting, with a field of oilseed rape in the foreground and a couple of horses with riders trotting past the church.
Taking a look at the exterior from the approach from the east, there is evidence of some rebuilding work on the chancel and the east end of the nave; the latter being patched up in red brick. The north aisle is large and impressive. Walking around to the west, the five stage heavily buttressed west tower had a plain parapet and has cut down pinnacles at each corner. A scaly mythical beast appears to be on the verge of taking flight from the south west buttress, and below on the same buttress is a most curious carving which resembles a bomb!
There are some fabulously carved figures on the corbel string on the tower. These were not easy to photograph on this grey day but I have included a couple at the end of this piece, which were photographed on that previous visit.
The south porch has a substantial fragment of a medieval coffin lid mounted in to its west wall, with a holy water stoup to the east.
There are four bells in the ring here, each being cast by a different founder. The first of the ring was cast by Haulsey of St Ives in 1622 and has the Latin inscription ‘Omnia Fiant Ad Gloriam Dei; ‘let all things be done for the glory of God’. The second dates from around 1600 and is by Newcombe of Leicester, and has a typical Olde English inscription which my spell checker hates so much. This one reads ‘Remember the pore and nede’.
The third of the ring was cast by Robert Taylor of St Neots in 1797 with the fourth courtesy of Tobias Norris III of the Stamford bell foundry in 1685. I have seen internet sources suggesting that this bell was cast by Tobias Norris in 1635 which would not be correct. Tobias I died in 1626, Tobias Norris bells are as rare as hen’s teeth and he was only active in 1628. Tobias Norris III was active between 1662 and 1699 and the National Church Bell Database puts the date of this bell down as being 1685 which sounds a lot better.
Carvings on the tower; taken on a day with lighting conditions a little more favourable.
The visitor enters in through the south porch and some carvings from those long departed can be seen carved in to the door frame. We see a Christian cross and also what appears to be a half moon. The sun and moon were often used in stained glass depictions of the crucifixion, symbolising that Christ was ruler over all, day and night, light and darkness. Perhaps we have some sort of similar symbol here; we can only guess though with the real reason for the carving being lost with the carver a few hundred years ago!
There are four bay arcades to north and south, with the south arcade having circular piers and capitals; the north arcade has circular piers and capitals, with the capitals plain except the central one which is carved with a still leaf design. The 13th century chancel is quite austere with little in the way of wall plaques and the chancel arch retains its marks where the rood loft was attached.
The east window is of three lights, with clear glass that is edged with red and orange bands. This would have caught the sun beautifully, especially early in the morning, but that was to be for another day as there was no chance of the sun putting in an appearance on this visit.
There is a 14th century piscina in its traditional position against the south wall of the chancel, with the usual bottle of hand sanitiser, which has become an almost ever present in churches everywhere in the years since covid hit and what could be an aumbry opposite, but no sign of a sedilia, the seating for the priests during the Mass, which might have been lost during later restoration. There are altars set up at the east end of the north and south aisles, with a piscina still in place against the south wall indicating that the Mass was celebrated at this side altar as well.
Two modern stained glass windows in the north aisle are very effective. One shows Jesus being baptised by John the Baptist; with water being sprinkled over Jesus from a scallop shell rather than full emersion baptism. This led to an interesting personal google session, trying to establish if Jesus’ baptism would have been full emersion or not. The result: no one really knows!
The second is a beautiful depiction of the day of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit shown in the form of a dove, with the spirit flooding down upon the disciples in rays, tongues of fire standing out on the heads of the disciples gathered below.
There are some interesting gravestones to be seen in the grounds here, with a few showing symbols of the mortality of Man. One of these stones depicts crossed human bones whilst others show the deaths head, a carving of a human skull or skulls; all of which are there to remind the onlooker, in the form of symbols as most would not be able to read or write, that Man is mortal and will die. You will go the same way as the deceased so be careful; live a good Christian life, trust in God and do not be caught lacking when your own time comes.
One of these stones is particularly interesting as it shows three skulls, cavernous eye sockets ringed with lichen, with one of the skulls upside down. None of the gravestones in the grounds here are listed but war memorial has a Grade II Listing.
This was a two church mini churchcrawl; if indeed two churches could be called a crawl. Each of the churches here is normally closed to visitors but the contacts at the church were helpful in arranging a visit to see inside. Well worth taking a look at if you can. To complete this page, a couple of photographs of this church from other visits. Below left April 2015 with the oilseed rape field. Below right the winter of 2017 and a Red Kite approaches the silhouetted church.
