St Michael & All Angels
Croft , Herefordshire
This medieval church, standing in the grounds of Croft Castle has the most delightful 16th century bell turret with its ogee shaped cupola and rare single-hand clock.
This makes it one of the oldest timber structures in Britain.
It is a fascinating building, made of four massive oak posts (each a single tree about 200 years old when felled), encased in a stone skirt wall that may be of the same date.
The tower was altered in the 14th and 16th centuries. The church itself was virtually rebuilt in Victorian times.
Yarpole is a very small village, and threatened loss of its village shop and post office resulted in rethinking the way the church was used, so that in 2010 part of it became a shop and post office. The rest of the church keeps its original function, and this may be a way forward for other churches that need to rethink their role and function in the 21st century.
