St Lawrence, the parish church
The original
settlement known as Alspath surrounded the church of St Lawrence,
set on a hill, in the typical Arden countryside of Warwickshire. The
church now lies south of the village of Meriden, reputed to be the
geographical centre of England, which grew up along the route of the
main road from London which was turnpiked in 1821. This road ran via
Coventry and after passing through Meriden, divided, with the principal
route running via Coleshill and Lichfield to Chester, whilst the other
continued into Birmingham.
Traffic
increased through the late 18th and well into the 19th century, with
numerous regular coach services using the route. To serve the travellers
a number of alehouses and several inns were established and the local
population soon drifted towards this new centre of activity. Many
references to travellers, often nameless unfortunately, can be found
in the registers and other parish records.
The original
church, consisting of a chancel and nave, was built in the middle
of the 12th century and was confirmed to the monks of Coventry Priory
c. 1160 by Ivo de Allepath.
The chancel
was lengthened and the chancel arch widened in the 13th century, the
south aisle being added in the 14th century. Further extensions were
made during the 15th century when the building of the north aisle
was followed by the west tower and the clerestory to the nave roof.
The tower
has three storeys and appears, as the stone varies, to have been built
in three stages. It originally had an octagonal stone spire, but only
the squinches and bottom courses remain. The bell chamber has five
bells with the earliest, the tenor, dating from the 14th or 15th century.
Three others are dated 1740 and the last 1897.
The 15th
century low-pitched roof of the nave is covered in lead, bearing dates
between 1628 and 1752.
Some
restoration and small works were carried out in the 19th and 20th
centuries. In the mid 1980s an urgent programme was undertaken to
restore the roofs of the chancel and nave, which were affected by
dry rot. It was also found that the lead lining to the tower roof
had been poorly laid some 200 years previously, allowing water seepage
which necessitated the renewal of the stonework.
