The remarkably preserved Kilpeck Church, one of the perfect Norman village churches in England

Located in the English county of Herefordshire, about 5 miles from the border with Monmouthshire, Wales, the Kilpeck Church (aka the Parish Church of St Mary and St David in Kilpeck) is one of the most outstanding small Norman churches and home to the finest collection of Romanesque sculpture in England.

The Church stands between the remains of Kilpeck Castle and the six-acre deserted medieval village that used to be a home to a thriving community. The main road still serves as an access road to the Church. It is believed that the site used to have been a Saxon church because it has the characteristics of Saxon architecture. The oval raised form of the churchyard is typical of even older Celtic foundations.

The exact date is unknown, but it was given to the Benedictine Abbey of Gloucester in 1143 and so presumably it was built before. Supposedly, it was built around 1140 and the builder of this prime surviving example of the Herefordshire school of Romanesque sculpture was Hugh de Kilpeck, Keeper of the King’s Forests.

Kilpeck Church was dedicated to St David, probably referring to a local Celtic St David rather than the more famous Welsh St David, and later acquired an additional dedication to Mary from the chapel at Kilpeck Castle.

Amongst students of church architecture, few churches are as well-known as Kilpeck and famous for the dozens of amusing, intricate, grotesque, and remarkably preserved carvings around the doors, windows, and roof line of the church, left by the 11th-century masons.

The church is ornately carved with no less than 89 corbels, and although some have been mutilated or removed, most have survived in good condition. The carving is exceptional both in variety and quality of the work.

The carvings depict a plethora of symbolic imagery, including mythical beasts such as a basilisk and manticore, as well as actual birds, snakes swallowing each other’s tails, warriors, a tree of life, beasts, humans and on each side of the windows there’s a design of an interlaced snake topped by a “green man”.

The church fell into disrepair in the 14th century,  but what is especially remarkable is that somehow it managed to avoid defacement from the Puritans in the 17th century and has had several restorations since.

It was substantially repaired in 1864 (the former south porch was removed, the bell-cote was rebuilt, and the apse was refaced), 1898 (the roofs were repaired or recovered) and 1962 (a lead mantle was installed around the label to prevent water penetration), thus its unique features were protected and maintained.

Here is another interesting story from our architecture files:Ohrid-the city that had 365 churches, one for each day of the year

Today, the Kilpeck Church is still a place of worship, with a service held at least once in three weeks.