St Helen's Church, Wheathampstead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Helen's Church |
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Helena of Constantinople |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Wheathampstead |
| Diocese | St Albans |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Helen's Church is the oldest church in Wheathampstead, a village in Hertfordshire, England. We don't know exactly when it was first built, but it was originally a wooden church from the Anglo-Saxon period. This means it was standing even before the Normans arrived in England in 1066! Today, it is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historical building that is protected by law.
Contents
History of St Helen's Church
Early Days and Rebuilding
The first church was made of wood and was quite old. In the early 1200s, people started to fix it up because it was getting old and falling apart. Around 1238, the chancel (the part of the church where the altar is) was rebuilt and made longer.
The beautiful triple windows on the east side of the church, which you can still see today, were added around this time. Also, a special window and doorway with a "dog-tooth" pattern (a zigzag design) on the north side of the church were built then.
The Central Tower
We know for sure that the central tower of St Helen's Church was built around 1290 AD. This date comes from old records kept by the Lincoln Cathedral Registry. Wheathampstead used to be part of the Diocese of Lincoln until 1845. This makes the tower the first part of the church that we can date precisely.
Building Materials of the Church
St Helen's Church is built from a mix of materials. The main part is made of "flint rubble," which are rough pieces of flint stone. It also uses a special kind of stone called Totternhoe clunch. This stone is a type of soft limestone that can be carved easily.
Since these types of stone are not found naturally in the Wheathampstead area, historians believe the builders in medieval times had to bring them from far away. They probably got the stone from quarries in the middle of England. It would have been shipped down the River Great Ouse to Bedford and then carried by horses and carts along old Roman roads to Wheathampstead. Imagine how much effort that took!
Famous People Buried Here
Inside St Helen's Church, you can find a statue that remembers Apsley Cherry-Garrard. He was a famous polar explorer who went on expeditions to the South Pole. He is buried in the churchyard, which is the area around the church.
Another notable person buried in the churchyard is William Beach Thomas. He was a British journalist and author who reported on World War I.
