St Mary
Hardwick, Cambridgeshire
A delightful 14th and 15th century church in a tranquil setting.
The chancel’s perpendicular roof has hammer beams with figures of angels, the chancel arch is modern but perpendicular rood screen survives.
The lofty nave arcades are Transition Norman, the piers alternately circular or octagonal. The nave has very fine and lofty Early English arches, and the south porch, also Early English, bears a cross on the gable.
Set into the floor is an unusual labyrinth formed of red and black floor tiles. Constructed in 1875, shortly after the labyrinth was laid in nearby Ely Cathedral, and likewise situated beneath the west tower, the design is a squared up version of the Hampton Court hedge maze design.
Dowsing, the Puritan iconoclast, visited the church, destroying two angels and some brasses and some crosses on the tower and chancel. The nave was restored in 1875-1878 at a cost of £1480.
The register dates from 1564.