St Margaret’s, Hardwick
Open daily dawn to dusk.
St Margaret's Church is full of character. It has a stump of a round tower, the result of a storm of 1770. The doorways to the north and south of the nave are both Norman. A Jacobean tester pew sits by the south door and is used as a makeshift vestry; it originally served as the squire's pew in the chancel and has a 'lid' on it. Curious grooves have been scored into the font. Whether these were a result of tools being sharpened or perhaps the dust being collected for use in remedies, it is unclear. The rood screen has a rustic charm with its intricate carving, gilded spandrels and painted floral motifs. A small brass dedicated to George Bacon lies on the chancel step, complete with the Bacons' wild boar coat of arms. In the chancel are elaborate memorials to members of the Gleane family, including Sir Peter Gleane who we are told served Charles I in the Civil Wars and never recovered from the wounds he received. There is a wall painting of St Christopher opposite the south doorway. Look closely and you will see birds in the trees.
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