A beautiful Saturday afternoon in April 2010, and a visit to the church of All Saints at Hamerton.  This is a small and very attractive village, a couple of miles from the Giddings. Hamerton would be most famous for its wildlife park, and on this gorgeous Spring afternoon, there were plenty of people taking a look at the animals.
   I wasn't interested at that time at looking at the animals, although I did find the extremely loud braying of what sounded like a donkey of interest, especially as I could still here this as I took water as neighbouring Steeple Gidding!
   An attractive church, set in lovely surroundings. This is a slightly frustrating church to photograph as it is very difficult to get a clear shot of the exterior as there are so many trees about. That said though, this is a lovely setting.  One of my most favourite places in the catchment area of this site is outside the church at Steeple Gidding, looking south over the lovely Huntingdonshure countryside. With the zoom on full there is a nice view of the tower of All Saints Hamerton, surrounded by trees and with the late afternoon mist starting to form. Idyllic.
    No church was mentioned here at the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086, but mention was made of a church fifty years later. Some of the present structure dates from the late 13th century, but it seems that much of the present building was rebuilt early in the 14th century. Much work has been done here over the years. More reconstruction was undertaken here in the 15th century. Whilst restoration was underway in the mid 1850's. At the end of the nineteenth century, the chancel was underpinned and restored.
   The tower dates from the late 15th century, and has a castellated top. The tower is buttressed, with the buttresses finishing just under the belfry windows.
    There are four bells in the tower, one is from a London founder C&G Mears, and is dated 1854; The second is from  T: Eayre of Kettering. This one is inscribed with the makers name and the date of 1728 and the latin inscription "Gloria Patri Filio et Spiritui Sancto". There are also the symbols of two crowns in between the script. The third is from Thomas Norris, of the Stamford bellfoundry and is inscribed  "Non Verba Sed Voce Resonabo Domine Lavdem  Thomas Norris cast me 1628 W. Bvrnbi S. Fitchiohn Ch: Wa" This is a quite early bell from Thomas Norris, cast just a couple of years after the death of his father Tobias. The fourth is from prolific Peterborough founder Henry Penn and is inscribed  "Henry Penn made me 1706 William Smith churchwarden".
   There are some very high quality gargoyles and grotesque here, particularly on the south wall. One in particular caught my eye. This has mouth wide open, four ferocious looking fangs, and the stonemason in question has put in a nice finishing touch by adding stubble above his top lip! Just to the side of this grotesque is a small slab inscribed "I.B 1707"
    Church grounds are well kept and there is a delightful view looking north, over to the village itself, and its charming thatched cottages. Close to the wall on the south side of the church there is a row of late seventeenth century graves. Very badly weathered these, but the date of 1693 is still legible on one of them.
    Spent an enjoyable half an hour here, enjoying the sun and just listening to the gentle drone of the bees. Back on to the cycle and travelled the couple of miles to Little Gidding, a favourite place to take water and enjoy the countryside. From there is was 15 miles and an hours cycling  to get home, enjoying every second!

http://www.robschurches.moonfruit.com/#/hamerton/4523383498