First up, St Michael and St Martin isn’t just old; it’s venerable. We’re talking 12th-century origins, which means it was here when people thought crop circles were caused by fairies. (Spoiler: they weren’t, but the church’s original builders probably had some very dodgy haircuts.)
The place has been tinkered with over centuries—a bit like a granddad’s shed that keeps getting extra shelves. Victorians gave it a major makeover in the 1800s, adding all that lovely Gothic detail. So today, you get a weirdly wonderful mash-up: a Norman core with Victorian bling. It’s like finding a medieval knight wearing a top hat.
Why the Two Saints?
You might wonder why there are two saints in the title. Did they fall out? Did they need a shared custody agreement? Actually, it’s because the church originally was just St Michael’s. But in the 1920s, it merged with another local church dedicated to St Martin. Think of it as the ultimate holy merger—no hostile takeovers, just extra prayers and a bigger congregation. Synergy, but with incense.
