At the south portal of St Bartholomew’s Church in Hognaston is an approximately 800-year-old tympanum. This distinctive heritage detail provides a clear focal point, alongside two dated buildings and two different route options. Three questions are therefore key to your planning: Which historic details would you like to learn about, do you prefer a cycling loop or a walk, and does a possible booking at the Village Hall need to be made in advance?

Church art and dated houses

The tympanum depicts a shepherd with a crook protecting the Lamb of God from a wolf, a wild boar and a fox. The scene tells a clear story: protection and threat are set against each other. The crook and animals make the subject specific, rather than showing an indistinct animal scene. It is a religious image that adds a detail of cultural history to the church.

Old Hall and Knowl House also provide historical reference points. Old Hall on Main Street was built in 1611; Knowl House was built in 1694. There are 83 years between the two construction dates, so Old Hall is the older of the two buildings. The approximately 800-year-old tympanum adds a much older, though only approximately dated, work of art to this comparison. Hognaston therefore brings together two specific construction dates and an approximate age for the stone carving.

Cycling loop or walk?

The Carsington Loop is a 27 km moderate circular cycling route. 57 percent of the route is on roads, and 43 percent is on paths. This means just over half is made up of road sections, while paths account for just under the remaining share. You can therefore consider three details together when planning: the length of the loop, its difficulty rating and the proportions of the different surfaces.

The Carsington Water & Hognaston circular walk has a different focus. It runs from the road to the church in Hognaston; the return follows the village road and passes the church back to Hognaston. The church is both a heritage detail and a landmark along the route as described. Check the path conditions before setting out. The difference between the two options is therefore the combination of mode of travel and route description: a cycling loop with its distance and surface proportions, or a walk featuring the church and a return through the village.

Plan for the Village Hall

Hognaston Village Hall can be hired on any of the seven days of the week, subject to availability; advance notice is required for every booking. Check availability for your preferred date and allow for the required advance notice. This makes hiring the hall a separate planning consideration alongside the cultural details and routes.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Draycott, Wirksworth, Tibshelf, Swanwick, South Wingfield, Marston, Coton In The Elms, Clay Cross.

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