The Old St Lawrence Church
Welcome to The Old St Lawrence Church
The Partial Demolition
The building was partially demolished in 1775 by Sir Lionel, who had acquired a country home, Ayot House, close by. According to legend, Lyde had a strong dislike for the building and was only stopped from completely demolishing it by the then Bishop of Lincoln.
The Bishop issued an injunction to prevent the church being further despoiled but nothing was done to repair the damage. Many years later (1920) the 10th Earl of Cavan rebuilt the arch between the Chancel and the North Chapel. It was not until 1999 that, under the supervision of the Ayot St Lawrence Old Church Preservation Trust, work began on stabilising the ruin with the help of grants from English Heritage, Heritage Lottery Fund, villagers and a significant contribution from a kind benefactor.
You can catch up with the story by viewing the Horrible Histories video.
The New Church
⛪︎ Palladian Church
The Ruined Church was replaced as the village’s parish church by the New St Lawrence Church (the “Palladian Church”), built in parkland belonging to Sir Lionel Lyde, the local squire, in its neoclassical style – see here.
🕊️ Committee & Trust
The Ruined Church is quite separate to the Palladian Church and is run by the Ayot St Lawrence Old Church Preservation Trust. You can find further details about the Ayot Old Church Preservation Trust here.
Support the Old Church
Important Notice
The Ruined Church relies entirely on donations and village volunteers to maintain it. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns the church is currently closed to the public.
Donations towards the costs of remedial and maintenance works are welcome. Please contact the trustees.
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