Church of St Margaret of Antioch

The Church of St Margaret of Antioch stands in the quiet Hertfordshire village of Bygrave. It is an Anglican parish church dedicated to the 3rd-century martyr and has been a Grade II* listed building since 1968. Excavations in 1993 found Romano-British pottery beneath the north nave wall, showing people lived here long before the present church. Bricks at the east angles of the nave are Roman, and two phases of Saxon construction took place between the 8th and 10th centuries. The nave belongs to the 12th century, the chancel to the late 14th, and the west turret to the 15th. Inside, visitors see a 15th-century octagonal font carved with the instruments of the Passion and angels on the stem. The rood screen from the same century carries the Royal Arms dated to the late 17th century. Wall paintings from the 14th century survive on the west and north chancel walls, and fragments of 15th-century glass are set into nave windows. A 2001 Millennium Window by Michael Lassen fills a modern light above the south door. The south porch dates from the 18th century, while the blocked north door is 12th-century. Outside, the churchyard contains an old stone coffin without a lid beside the west wall. Bench ends with poppy heads from the 15th century line the nave, and a small turret gives access to the 1718 bell. The rector George Coke later became Bishop of Hereford. The building’s layers of brick, flint and plaster tell a story that stretches from Roman bricks to Victorian pulpit panels.