Taken at sunset, today’s Friday Photo is of St Edburgh’s Church, also known as Old Yardley Church, dating back to the 13th century. The church, which was part of Lichfield Diocese is today a grade-I listed building and is nestled away in Yardley Conservation Area. If you ever make a visit there, be sure to look out for the Tudor rose and pomegranate carving above the archway in the North Aisle- the pomegranate was the symbol of Catherine of Aragon who married Henry VII’s eldest son, Arthur, and the manor of Yardley was also bequeathed to Catherine in her divorce settlement from Arthurs’s brother, Henry VIII, and was only returned to the crown after her death in 1536. Having worked at Blakesley Hall for nearly eight years, just a stone’s throw from the church, I always admired the spire from a distance, standing proudly in the urban and modern landscape of Yardley. If you haven’t been to Yardley Conservation Area, then you should definitely arrange a visit soon- you won’t be disappointed.
