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Staunton village and All Saints Church
Photos by John Wilkes
of Cam near Dursley, Gloucestershire
The Gloucestershire
Photo Library:
Page composition by
Allan Taylor Vancouver, Canada
http://www.allthecotswolds.com
Staunton near Coleford did not appear in my guide book to Gloucestershire, which mentioned only the other Staunton, located half-way between Newent and Tewkesbury. An Internet site noted that there was an interesting ancient church at the village of Staunton beyond the Forest of Dean so I thought it would be well worth a visit. As you approach the village, on the main road from Mitcheldean to Monmouth, the church is a prominent feature on a knoll off to the right. After the warm honey yellow stone of the Cotswolds the local Dean stonework looked a little drab. Nevertheless, the interior of the church did not disappoint with a splendid array of stained glass windows, an ancient Roman font and an unusual stone pulpit with a narrow spiral stone access stairway.
Below, and across the road from the church, the village of Staunton spread out and down into the valley. An hexagonal stone enclosure nestled into a grassy slope, appearing at first site like the ruins of an ancient building, maybe a tower. The inscription on a notice plate explained that it was once a gated stone enclosure for holding stray grazing animals.
Their owners would have to pay a fine to reclaim the livestock - a practice that continued until the 1950's. Beyond Staunton the main road descended steeply into Monmouthshire - now renamed Gwent - 'the gateway to Wales'.
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