Astwick Church Architecture

The church of St Guthlac was mentioned in Domesday and the list of incumbents begins in 1209. It is described in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume number 73 of 1994 Bedfordshire Churches in the Nineteenth Century: Part I: Parishes A to G, as ‘a puzzling building, not yet staisfactorily explained.’

The earliest part of the church is the tower which may have begun as the central tower of a cruciform church. However, Pevsner questions whether this is likely but does not suggest an alternative solution. The present nave and chancel are essentially from the 15th century but some of the masonry pre-dates this.

The church is a mixture of coursed limestone and cobbles with some ashlar dressings with red brick repairs. The chancel is probably built from reused 15th century masonry. The three-light east window has a wooden head and mullions. The nave also dates from the 15th century although the thinner north wall is probably of a later date. The two large south windows are three-lights and the two north windows are later copies of these.

The west tower was reworked in the 15th century. The northern elevation lower stage has a doorway blocked with red brick. The western elevation has a two-light pointed window to the lower stage and a small single light to the top stage. The south elevation has a small pointed arched doorway within the large blocked 15th century archway. The top stage has a single light.