St Bartholemew's Church, Lower Sapey, Worcestershire
- Overview
- Map
A Norman time capsule in a beautiful setting
A winding lane leads up to the humble but delightful church of St Bartholomew, which sits on a steep bank above a picturesque stream. Its only companions are a scattering of stone and timber-framed eleventh-century houses.
The charm and interest of St Bartholomew's lie in the fact that little has changed since it was built in Norman times. It is very simple in form. The wonderful oak porch is weathered to a beautiful silver-grey and is covered by a great tangle of honeysuckle in summer. This leads to a splendid door set within a fine Norman doorway.
Inside, the church has a pleasing simplicity - a floor made of clay and gravel, a little west gallery and plain plastered walls that bear traces of wallpaintings from many centuries - you can just make out part of a lion, from a seventeenth-century royal coat of arms. Other fragments date from the Middle Ages.
Most of the fittings were transferred when a new and more convenient parish church was built in Victorian times. St Bartholomew's was neglected for more than a century after this, and was even used as a farm building! Only in the last 20 years, thanks to efforts of local people, has it been rescued from oblivion.
If you visit in the summer, when the countryside is at its most lush and a mass of honeysuckle hangs over the porch, it is a truly unforgettable experience.
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Community information
Click here to download a copy of the Church Plan which sets out the shared vision for the future of the church. This is a working document that will be updated on a regular basis. If you have any feedback or if you want to contact us about the church plan please drop us a line. When you write, please do give the name of the church, thank you!
Latest church plan:
Lower Sapey Church Plan - November 2023.pdf 3
Useful Links
- Visit Worcestershire
- Things to do in Worcestershire
- Family Days out in Worcestershire
- Worcestershire Archaeological Society
- Worcestershire Industrial Archaeology & Local History Society
- The Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry
- A list of churches in Worcestershire
- Worcestershire is in the Diocese of Worcester