St Botolph's Church, Wardley

The advowson was granted to Launde Priory by Richard Basset in the early 12th century. The church was built in the 12th century with the tower and spire built in the 14th century and clerestory being added in the 15th. A Victorian restoration in the 1870s included the rebuilding of the chancel. Wardley's parish church was dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon Saint Botolph, patron saint of travellers. An inspection of the fabric of the building in 2000 identified serious defects in parts of the stonework. Public fundraising enabled work to be carried out and the church was rededicated in 2004. The church was closed for regular worship in June 2010 and vested into the care of the Churches…

The church consists of a nave (without aisles), a chancel, a west tower with spire and a south porch. The oldest features of the church are the doorways, with the moulded south doorway with waterleaf carving on its capitals, dating c.1175 and enclosed in a 14th-century porch. The tower and broach spire date from the 14th century, while the chancel was rebuilt in 1871.