ST PETER'S,
A SAXON CHURCH IN WOOTTON WAWEN
NEAR STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

This interesting small parish church of St Peter's is situated in the village of Wootton Wawen, in the forest of Arden. It is located between the metropolis of Birmingham and the quaint tourist town of Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies on the A3400 approximately 6 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, 18 miles from Birmingham and 1 1/2 miles from Henley-in-Arden. Its intriguing story reflects many of the major changes and upheavals in the history of the nation and certainly deserves to be better known.

It is the oldest church in Warwickshire dating back to the first decades of the eighth century as is proved by the charter of Aethelbald which mentions the minster which then existed in the area and founded by Aethelric. It was first established as a missionary church for spreading the Christian faith to the surrounding areas and was in the hands of the Benedictine monks at that time. This church was built on the "Wudu Tun" (Wootton) estate near the river Alne which still meanders through the tranquil countryside.

As was common practice at that time the original structure was of timber with the characteristic thatched roof but this was later replaced by a less precarious structure in stone. Part of this stone structure still survives.