St Nicholas of Myra's Church, Ozleworth

St Nicholas of Myra’s Church stands in the small village of Ozleworth, Gloucestershire, on a circular churchyard that hints at an earlier or even pre-Christian site. The church is one of only two in the county with a hexagonal tower, the other being at Swindon. A long bridle path leads downhill from the Ozleworth Estate gates to the churchyard, which can be muddy and slippery. The tower, built in a Norman style, may have started as the original nave in the 12th century. A small nave was added in the 13th century, followed by a chancel, and the church was later extended in the 18th and 19th centuries. The church is built of stone with slate roofs, and its irregular hexagonal tower is divided into three stages. The chancel and nave have simple windows, while the south porch has a carved 13th-century doorway. Inside, the west tower arch and font date from the same century, and fragments of medieval stained glass remain in the east window. The southwest window of the tower holds four panels of 16th- or 17th-century Flemish glass, with the rest of the glasswork from the 19th century. The churchyard contains three groups of monuments, each listed as Grade II buildings. The church was declared redundant in 1981 and placed in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust the following year. A visit reveals a quiet, historic place where the architecture tells the story of centuries of change. The circular churchyard and unusual tower make it a distinctive landmark in the Gloucestershire countryside.