Church of the Holy Rood

In the Domesday Book (1086) the building is called the Church of Omenie Holy Rood since the name of the village at that time was Omenie, located in the Garsdon Hundred. The term "rood" is translated into English as "cross". Documents from 1287 refer to the church by its Latin name, Ameneye Sancte Crucis. The foundations of the building date from the Saxon period and some aspects parts of the fabric of the building are Norman. Parts are more recent including the tower and the roof of the nave which are from the 15th century. The church was restored twice in the 19th century, including a Victorian restoration in 1870.

The limestone building with slate roofs. It has a cruciform plan of nave with porch and chancel with a north vestry. The west three-stage tower has gargoyles and is supported diagonal buttresses. There is also a 12th-century pillar piscina with a square multi-scallop bowl. The cross in the churchyard was erected in 1415. Parts of it were stored in the church for many years and reinstalled on its base around 1860. The Grade I listed cross, and also a Scheduled Monument, is described as: "Late C14/early C15" ... The head was discovered in 1860 hidden in the old stair to the rood tower and replaced in its original position." The cross was restored in the late 20th century. The book Ancient…