This is the tower door of the Church of St Lawrence in Abbots Langley. While it’s believed there was originally a Saxon church on the site, the current church was built around 1150 AD, just four years before Nicholas Breakspeare, a resident of the parish, became the first and only English Pope, Adrian IV.
The church is a lovely Norman building of local flint, with a square tower and timber lych gate. The graveyard is huge, following the irregular curved shape characteristic of Saxon enclosures, hinting at an earlier history. It also boasts some very large trees, including this rather spectacular redwood.
There are so many stories to be found in old churchyards, the gravestone inscriptions telling tales of love, loss and family. So today when I was in the village I decided to make a quick visit, as it the weather was so nice. And I’m glad that I did.
Thus ends my entry into this week’s Thursday Doors Challenge, courtesy of Norm 2.0 – pop on over and check out some more doors, or add one of your own.
Helen Glynn Jones 
King’s and Abbot’s Langley churches are both on my list…
Sounds as though another lunch might be in order? đ
Definitely! When I’m back on the road again…
And I need to come up your way too đ
You do… but ditto on the car front now đŚ
Oh no! That’s not good news. Hope it gets sorted soon and you can start roaming again.
It had better! I’ll go nuts if I’m confined to the village too long đ
You take gorgeous pictures. Might I ask what kind of camera? Ordinary smartphone, by any chance? I love the way your picture posts just quickly grab me, and for a few minutes transport me to the other side of the world – then, bing, I’m back in my Canadian existence, a little richer for the experience.
Thanks Angelika – it’s just my trusty IPhone 6. It does take pretty nice pictures in terms of quality, that’s for sure. And that’s so nice of you to say – it’s all I can ask for, that my posts transport people somewhere else for a little while. đ
I love the look of older churches, especially the change in stonework.
Yes, they’re lovely, aren’t they? We get a lot of flint ones around here because it’s the local stone, and it is a really nice texture.
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Lovely old door.
Thank you – it’s a nice old village, too đ
classical and Paradise…
Beautiful photos, once again! I know I’ve said this before, but you are so lucky to have so much history on your doorstep.
Thanks, Louise đ Yes, I love history, so to have so much inspiration around is wonderful. I do feel very lucky.