St Swithun's Church, Brookthorpe

St Swithun’s Church stands in the quiet village of Brookthorpe in Gloucestershire. Built in the 13th century, it is a small limestone church with a saddleback tower and stone slate roofs. The nave has a north aisle added in 1892, a south porch, a chancel, a vestry, and the tower at the west end. The exterior shows lancet windows, buttresses, and a lean-to aisle roof with triple windows. Inside, the church keeps a 17th-century octagonal font and an 18th-century hexagonal pulpit. The church is worth visiting for its Grade II* listing and fine architectural details. Eric Gill carved memorial work around the north nave window for Detmar Blow. The single-manual organ dates from 1768 and was restored twice in the 20th century. The churchyard holds five Grade II listed limestone chest tombs, including one for John Weyman from 1666. A war grave marks a Second World War airman among the older stones. Inside, the chancel has a 19th-century reredos and a restored piscina in the north wall. The porch holds a chronogram that hides the date of Charles I’s execution. The organ, originally built for the Wilder family, travelled from Sulham Manor to Tilehurst before reaching Brookthorpe. The churchyard’s tombs include those of Susanna Smith, Thomas Browning, and Iohane Browning, all from the 17th century.