Friends of The Church on The Hill

St. Mary the Virgin, Edlesborough

Edlesborough Festival 7-9 June details on 'Future Events' page.

Over the centuries the Church has been enlarged and embellished. Countless medieval craftsmen left their legacy of wonderful features like the great battlemented tower in the 14th Century, the clerestory, screen and pulpit in the 15th and the pulpit canopy in the 16th. From the 14th Century the tower was topped with a pyramidal spire (probably similar to that at Ivinghoe) but this was destroyed by fire in 1828 following a lightning strike.

For almost eight hundred years the Church on the Hill has been a striking feature for those making their way to Leighton Buzzard market, or travelling along the Icknield Way. And for most of that time (save for a brief gap after 1828) villagers in Edlesborough and adjoining parishes will have grown up within the sound of the peal of the six bells in the tower. But now the bells are largely silent, for the Church was declared redundant in 1975.

Although it is still open to visitors, apart from occasional services, concerts and other events, the church has stood empty for over 30 years. The Churches Conservation Trust have spent a great deal of money on repairing the crumbling fabric of the Church which was built of local Totternhoe stone which is particularly susceptible to the ravages of time, weather and atmospheric pollution. This conservation work will have to continue if the building is to be secured for future generations.