St Peter

The tower nestling modestly behind it looks Gothic but is in fact Saxon in its lower stages, as becomes clear when you enter the church.

The base of the tower is used as a kind of sanctuary, with an altar and modern stained glass in its north window. On either side of the tower are the nave and chancel, with an aisle and the large chapel to the south.

The church is packed with a fascinating mixture of furnishings, fittings, memorials and memorabilia, all interpreted and explained. The font with its unsettling carved heads is 14th century, there are 15th century benchends, and many monuments, perhaps the most notable being that to Francis Smith; it dates from the early 17th century and has an effigy of him in armour and with a long, neatly combed beard.

In the barn roofed Lady Chapel an acclaimed exhibition explores Wootton’s mysterious past, including how it got its very odd name. Wagen was the Saxon lord of the manor a thousand years ago.

Six extraordinary paintings, especially commissioned from Philip Shepherd RWS, trace the history of Wootton Wawen through the ages. Roads and ponds appear and disappear, a Saxon monastery is succeeded by a Norman priory, the river changes course, village life visibly transforms, and at the centre St Peter’s reflects the spiritual aspirations of every generation in turn.