I’m trying to visit every church in the Borough of Milton Keynes. According to Wikipedia there’s about 120 of them, so this may take me some time…
Church number 1 on my journey is one of the oldest: St Lawrence, Bradwell Village.
Description below largely based on the helpful leaflet provided (there is a more detailed history leaflet available for a £2 donation to the church).
St Lawrence Church dates back 800 years. It is located in Bradwell Village, just off Vicarage Road, by the old Manor Farm (now a Youth Hostel) and the remains of the 13th Century Motte and Bailey castle. The West Coast mainline runs just behind the Church, and it is just round the corner from Old Bradwell United FC and the Victoria and the Prince Albert pubs.
It is also near Bradwell Abbey, though there was no formal relationship between the Priory and the Church: the first vicar at St Lawrence, Henricus, was designated by Tickford Priory in Newport Pagnell in 1223 (there have been 57 vicars since then – see below). The Church boasts some of the oldest bells in Buckinghamshire, dating back to 1310.
The Church is a Grade 2 listed building, known for its distinctive “saddle back” roof and its 19th Century churchyard gates (which were made by Roberts of Deanshanger).
The View From Bradwell Common 