St Mary’s, Hitchin

To look at this photo you might think that this lovely church is in the heart of the countryside.  In fact it is in the middle of Hitchin town centre.  

We popped into the town this morning to pick up a few things and stretch our legs.

The view of the church from the other side has better light in the winter sunshine.  

The building is on the site of a monastery built in the 8th century but the church itself was built in the 14th and 15th centuries.  As can be seen from the variety of different types of stonework it has had many later repairs and additions.

A fun reflection of the tower in a puddle!

The river runs alongside the churchyard and it was busy with ducks, geese, pigeons and gulls.