Coln St Dennis and Coln Rogers

19 February 2004

	Coln St Dennis derives its name from the local river and the abbey of St Denis in Paris, which owned the manor in the middle ages The parish church of St James is unusual in that its original Norman plan of nave, central tower and sanctuary, and much of the fabric, has been preserved intact The nave looking east
The central tower is the most notable feature
	The castellated belfry was, however, a later addition, and caused some buckling in the structure, visible in this view from the east Now dedicated to St James, the church was often referred to in earlier times as St Kenelm’s, after the local saint and son of a king of 8^th Century Mercia, who was celebrated principally at Winchcombe Abbey before its closure. Though there is no structural evidence, it is likely that the church is built on the site of a Saxon predecessor
Coln Rogers takes its name from the knight Roger of Gloucester who donated the manor to the monks of Gloucester in the 12^th Century The church of St Andrew dates from Saxon times and follows the simple Saxon plan of nave and chancel, the south porch and west tower having been added later Unfortunately, later additions and maintenance have covered the Saxon features externally, though internally the chancel arch and a small window appear to be part of the original Saxon church, while the distinctive Saxon construction of the walls has been uncovered in a couple of places. Unfortunately, Roger unintentionally deleted his picture of all this	The exterior of St Andrew’s at Coln Rogers

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