Astwick
St Guthlac Church
Places > Astwick > Churches
The list of incumbents goes back to 1209 and the earliest portion is the tower. The present nave and chancel are essentially of 15th century but with many fragments of older masonry. It is one of only two churches in England to be dedicated to St. Guthlac, soldier, monk and hermit who lived in the Lincolnshire Fens around 700AD
In 1935, the church was restored by Professor Albert Richardson. During the 1970s services were cut back from two each month to one for lack of light in the winter evenings, as the church had no electric lighting. In 1986 the church was re-opened for the first wedding ceremony in two years. In 1999 as a millennium project a yew tree was planted in the churchyard.
Sources
- The Newspaper Cuttings Collection, Local Studies Library, Bedford Central Library.
- PICKFORD, C. Bedfordshire Churches in the 19th century. BHRS Vol.73 1994.
Saint Guthlac Church, by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2012
Page last updated: 21st January 2014