St George Church
St George Church
The school has as a close affiliation with St Georges Church located on Toddington village green. The Reverend Linda is a regular visitor and provides the school with spiritual guidance.
The History of Toddington St George – courtesy of Friends of Toddington Parish Church
St George of England Church in Toddington was consecrated on St George’s Day in 1222. This was the same day that St George became the Patron Saint of England. The present building was started by Paulinus Peyvre although there was probably a building on the same spot from Saxon times. The current building is mainly of Totterhoe limestone.
It is a beautiful church with many interesting features. The tower is 90 feet high and the cross on the top has been there since the time of Charles 1. The weather vane was added in Georgian times.
Along the north side of the church is a cornice of carved animals and mythical beasts which dates from the early 16th century. This has been worn by wind and weather but some of these were restored in the 1970s. They include the Sow and Pigs and it is not clear which came first, the frieze or the pub (now sadly closed) which stood opposite to the church. There is a booklet which describes the frieze in more detail.
On the north side of the chancel is a small building which you can enter from the chancel or from outside and which is called a parvise. This would have originally been a priest’s apartment.
Above the nave you can see a flight of eight carved angels which have looked down on the congregation for the last 500 years although they did get new wings in the 1970s. To read more visit the Friends of Toddington Parish Church web site
