In a land of springs and badgers, St Mary the Virgin church in Greywell has kept watch for nine hundred years
St Mary the Virgin Church Greywell, has a restful and ancient air about it and a meander down the footpath alongside it adds to its tranquility. At the time the present church was built around 1200 AD, King John was not far away ordering the construction of Odiham Castle from where he would eventually set out to sign the Magna Carta and that was to be the scene of many splendid intrigues and historically important moments in England’s history. Greywell was therefore caught up in the life of the Medieval Royal family and formed part of the royal game reserves and was subject to forest laws, which would have restricted the activities of local people.
St Mary the Virgin Greywell
The rood-loft in Greywell Church
The church has been altered over the years but amazingly it has retained its rood-loft, one of only two in Hampshire to have survived the Reformation, the other one interestingly, being at the nearby church in South Warnborough.
The church looks out onto a village made up of precariously pitched and tilted houses, with pastures of cows standing sentinel, making it a perfect old Hampshire church to visit.
