The Stilton Group of Churches
St Mary's Church Haddon
A large memorial window in the chancel commemorates Lieutenant Cornwallis Jasper Trower, R.N., killed at the battle of Majuba Hill, in February 1881.
The font is plain, and is thought to date from the 14th century, and inside the church is a stone carving of a lion, which is said to have once belonged to a large monument. There is a floor slab in the chancel to Samuel Morton, Rector here, who passed away in 1680.
Three bells hang in the 16th century belfry. The first of these was originally cast by 15th century bellfounder, and wine maker, John Danyell. The other two bells date from the 16th century, and were cast by Newcombe of Leicester. North's study of church bells in Huntingdonshire, complied in the 1860's, made note of the fact that two of the three bells were broken. In the end all three bells were re-cast by Taylor of Loughborough, and rehung in the very early 20th century.
"The church of St Mary at Haddon is a lovely church with a welcoming air about it".
About Us: St Mary's
Contact:
Church Wardens:
George Martin (01733 242411)
Andrew Goodlife
History:
The sign posted up on the church door at the Church of St Mary Haddon, welcomes visitors. A further sign offers a hot drink to the visitors and points them in the direction of the kettle! Set just off the busy A1 a few miles from Peterborough, this is a small farming village.
If you enter the village from the west, down a narrow country lane, the church of St Mary gradually comes in to view, surrounded by trees and cottages. This truly is a lovely sight.
The church grounds on the south side run in to a large area of farmland, with the busy A1(M) visible in the distance. Also visible, a few miles across the fields to the southeast, is the spire of St Peter at Yaxley.
Close to the church on the south side of the grounds are several graves from the very early 18th century, with a date of 1700 being clearly visible on two of them. Carved in a very rustic fashion, these are far removed from an elaborately carved double grave from the 1720's, which has a fabulously carved cherub above each of the deceased. Other graves date from the late 17th century, but are very worn.
Two ancient looking gargoyles can be seen on the south wall, with a much larger, and sadly broken, gargoyle on the north east corner. There was a church mentioned at Haddon in the Domesday Survey of 1086. It is thought that the Eastern wall of the Nave belongs to that period. The church inside is bright and welcoming, especially when sunlight streams in through the south windows. The chancel arch is a very fine piece of work, with some nice carvings on the capitals. Arcades on the North and South sides were added in the early 13th Century. Over the chancel there are the fragments of a 15th Century wall painting that shows a figure seated on a rainbow.