The Church

Church of St Mary

There has been a place of worship here since before Saxon times. The first church would have been a wooden structure, long since gone. The current church was probably established between 1067 and 1071 and it was held by Lyre Abbey in Normandy from 1072 when records appear. This meant that the villagers paid tithes to Normandy following the Norman invasion, for over 200 hundred years! In the twenty-first century, the links to Lyre were re-established in the Eardisland and La Vieille Lyre Twinning Association, which led to many exchanges of villagers every year until the global pandemic in 2020.

Eardisland Church - The Nave

A spire was added in 1683 but by 1761 this was removed due to deterioration. The church was profoundly ‘upgraded’ by the architect Henry Curzon in 1865 and retains many Victorian modifications. The latest upgrade was completed in 2011 and included the removal of the pews, archaeological excavation below the floor to the original Saxon church and a new floor added to the Nave.

Eardisland Church - side door

Further improvements are at the planning stage, to include a WC and kitchen facility.

Please visit the Eardisland Community website for the detailed historical research on the church done by George Alderson (1943- 2020).