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St Mary's, Silchester, Hampshire
Silchester is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Reading.
Silchester is most notable for the archaeological site and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, an Iron Age settlement first occupied by the Romans in about AD 45 and includes what is considered the best-preserved Roman wall in Great Britain. St Mary's, Silchester, lies entirely within the ancient walls of the site, which will be seen in the pictures. The graveyard contains a pair of carved 13th or 14th century coffin lids, presumably to members of the Bluet family. One is carved with a pair of heads above a foliated cross, the other a male head within a quatrefoil, though these features are not visible. You will not often find such ancient memorials in any church graveyard.
A public footpath leads from the rear of the churchyard to the ancient Roman settlement's walls. The footpath takes you through a small field where you may meet some new friends.
Sigma dp0 Quattro ISO 100.
