Historic village church near Harborough celebrates its 801st birthday

An historic village church near Market Harborough has celebrated its 801st birthday.

St Peter and St Paul Church at Great Bowden planned to mark its 800th anniversary last summer – until the Covid crisis struck.

So a year on church-goers and villagers gathered to celebrate the stunning history-making landmark at the popular local place of worship a week last Saturday (August 7).

The medieval church can trace its illustrious history all the way back to 1220 – when King Henry III sat on the throne and the foundation stone of Salisbury Cathedral was laid.

Church warden Margaret Powell said: “A lot of the village societies and groups and some of its businesses joined us for the day.

“They came to not only remind those of us who have been around a while what is happening, but also to introduce all that our village has to offer to those who have recently moved in.

“The church hosted the day by serving drinks and home-made cakes throughout the day as we showed a warm welcome to everyone in the village.”

She added: “The flower guild kindly agreed to decorate the church for us.

“The bell ringers did tours of the tower and everyone in the village were invited.

“The day ended with songs of praise at 3.30pm.

“So we finally celebrated the very special birthday that we couldn’t have last year and the fact that we will be able to gather together again, cautiously but joyfully,” said Margaret.