The Monday Photo

The churchyard of Holy Trinity Church is in the bailey of the 12th Century castle of Old Wolverton. In the background rises the castle motte, covered in trees and shrubs. There are no stone remains; this was, it’s thought, only ever a timber castle.

The end of the church is just visible at top left behind a yew tree. It also has 12th Century origins, but apart from the 14th Century tower it dates from 1809-1815.

It’s very likely that the old church, a bit more to the West of the 19th Century one, included parts of the original castle church. In that church the present tower was central, not on the West end as it is now.

In the fields around are earthworks from the long gone Medieval village, some of them on the far side of the Victorian canal. At the very edge of Buckinghamshire, the canal crosses the Great Ouse via the Iron Trunk aqueduct.

Lots to explore here, and there’s parking on the far side of the canal from the Galleon pub, not to be confused with the pub’s own car park, across the road from their front entrance.