SU6776 : St Margaret’s, Mapledurham

Showing the late 14th century Bardolf aisle on the South side. The main church was ‘restored’ by William Butterfield in 1863, but this aisle was not touched. It is enclosed and not accessible from the rest of the building, which is a pity as it is by far and away the most interesting part of it. The aisle was built to contain the tomb of Sir Robert Bardolf, who died in 1395. His magnificent brass portrait survives. The aisle remains the property of the Roman Catholic lords of the manor and resisted all of my attempts to get in.