St Gregory
Offchurch, Warwickshire
This ancient village close to the Fosse Way takes its name from the Saxon king, Offa, who is recorded as having founded a church here to commemorate his son.
The church owes its isolated status to repeated bouts of the plague, which drove the medieval villagers away to nearby Chesterton Green.
The site of St Giles is an historic one: a Roman villa close by has been partially excavated, and there was a Roman encampment on the Fosse Way, just to the west.
Notice the 18th century painted sundial above the south door, with its motto: 'See and be gone about your business'.
The core of the building is early 13th century, with some older fragments.
The fine 16th and 17th century monuments are to members of the Peyto family, whose manor house stood near the church. They include Sir Edward Peyto, who commissioned the unmistakable landmark that can be seen on a hill to the north-west: Chesterton Windmill, built in 1632.