Long Compton 17th Century Lychgate

This remarkably well-preserved 17th century half timbered lychgate is situated in Long Compton village.

Built in the 17th century (according to Historic England), this structure originally stood at the end of a row of terraced cottages.

The other cottages were destroyed, but fortunately, this structure survived.

It served as both a shop and a private residence until 1964, when it was donated to the Church of St Peter and St Paul. Today, the upper room is used by the local historical society.

The site of the church is thought to date back to the middle of the 5th Century with an early church on the present site visited by St. Augustine when he came to England in 597 A.D.

The current church with its stone walled churchyard and yew lined path dates back to the 13th century.

Most lychgates were constructed around the mid-15th century, though some date back even earlier.

Notably, the lychgate at St George's churchyard in Beckenham, South London, is claimed to be the oldest in England, dating from the 13th century.

After World War I, many lychgates were built as war memorials, such as the one in Sandridge, Hertfordshire, which is a Grade II listed building along with St Cuthbert's in Allendale, Northumberland.

However, many memorial lychgates, like that of St Peter's in Felkirk, Yorkshire, are not listed.

Additionally, several new lychgates were constructed to mark the new millennium, including one in Lenton, Lincolnshire.

In the Middle Ages, before the establishment of mortuaries and when most people died at home, the deceased were placed on a bier and taken to the lychgate.

Here, they remained—often guarded against bodysnatchers—until the funeral service, which could be a day or two later.

The lychgate provided shelter from the rain and often had seats for those keeping vigil. At that time, bodies were buried in shrouds rather than coffins.

During the funeral, the priest would conduct the first part of the service under the lychgate's shelter.

Traditionally, the lychgate was "the sheltered point at which the coffin was set down at a funeral to await the clergyman's arrival."

An English commentator in 1899 described the lychgate, or "corpse-gate," with its penthouse roof, as a shelter for funerals awaiting the priest.

While it was often the principal gateway of the churchyard, it was not always exclusively used for that purpose.

In parts of Cornwall and Devon, these gates were called "trim-trams," where the funeral procession was organized before meeting the officiating clergyman.

In parts of Scotland, Lykerstanes (literally "corpse stones") may have served a similar purpose.

Lychgates mark the transition between consecrated and unconsecrated space, acting as a liminal zone.

Stone lychgates can enhance the sensory awareness of this transition by creating a contrast in sounds between the inside and outside.

In England, a folk belief held that the spirit of the last person buried would stand watch at the gate until the next burial, sometimes leading to disputes at the entrance over which corpse should be interred first.

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