All Saints Church, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire

The Wonderful Anglo-Saxon Tower

Maximillion and I had set out early to make the journey from Norwich to Northamptonshire. The long journey had already been amply rewarded by our visit to Brixworth church. However, when we eventually arrived at All Saints church in the village of Earls Barton, our antiquarian hearts skipped a beat. There it stood, magnificent, etched in the long shadows of the late afternoon sun - the magnificent Anglo-Saxon tower! 

"It's a type-site tower Maximillion, really it is: the long and short quoining; the pilaster work adorning the faces of the tower; the five opening belfry windows with their balustered openings, featuring a primitive form of entasis - a triumph Maximillion!"

By this stage I could contain the tears no more. Maximillion looked sideways at me, with a mixture of fascination and contempt. He did not speak. Instead, he walked slowly sideways to the south of the tower and, bringing his imaginary binoculars to his eyes, there he stood, utterly transfixed...

Experience told me that it was best to leave him to continue in his catatonic reverie. So, taking my leave I strode up the significant earthwork proximate to the graveyard, the better to survey the structure...

Maximillion, awe-struck in the shadow to the tower

The line of Yews obscured the view of the tower, but, standing on this significant earth structure I couldn't help but wonder if this were some kind of Iron-age burial mound. And so it was that yet another trickle of time was passed in this special place...

~ Esotericus ~