A stone church with a tall tower sits behind a graveyard filled with weathered headstones and small white crosses in the grass.

Swavesey Church, 1902 (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

St Andrew, (Benedictine priory), Swavesey

History of St Andrew, Swavesey

Parish church; C11 and C12 wall fragments and quoins of nave and chancel of original Benedictine priory church; tower and North aisle C13, South aisle rebuilt and chantry chapel and South porch c.1300; chancel extended to full length of chapel and alterations to aisle windows early C14. Nave arcade, clerestory and roofs mid to late C15 with window tracery inserted into some original openings. Restorations C17, early C19, and 1865 by W.M. Fawcett, masonry said to have been used from priory ruins.

An information board about Swavesey Priory featuring a photograph of a church tower, historical text, and four line drawings.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

A gravel path leads to a stone church porch, with a tall tower behind it, framed by large dark trees and a quiet graveyard.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

Interior of a church with wooden pews and stone arches leading to a chancel screen and a large stained-glass window.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

Interior of a church chancel with an altar, stone reredos featuring a crucifix, and a large stained-glass window behind.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

Four stone arched sedilia built into a white wall above a patterned tile floor inside St Andrew's Church in Swavesey.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

Interior of St Andrew’s Church, showing a small arched door, patterned floor tiles, an altar with a cloth, and a candle stand.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

The interior of St Andrew's church featuring a dark wooden rood screen, a timber-vaulted ceiling, and stone arcade arches.

St Andrew Swavesey (RGL2026)

A black and white line drawing of a man pointing at a gravestone, surrounded by printed text detailing local epitaphs.

Notable Epitaphs in Cambridgeshire II: from Leaflets of Local Lore by Urbs Camboritum (Cambs Collection)

A sepia-toned postcard view of railway tracks curving toward a stone church tower across an open field with trees and hedges.

Swavesey church, 1902 (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

A drawing of a church interior with a wooden ceiling, a dark pulpit on the left, and a stone monument on the right.

Swavesey Church 1866-7, before restoration fund by Mrs Dudley Ryder, daughter of Thomas Cockaigne. Lost Monument of Nicholas Stone on right. (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

A road stretches between two low stone walls and dense tree canopies, with a glimpse of a churchyard visible on the left.

Church on left, manor on right, road built c.1838. (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

Black and white vintage postcard showing the stone St Andrew’s Church with a tall battlemented tower and long arched windows.

Swavesey Church (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

A tree-lined road in Swavesey with a stone wall, gate pillars on the left, and a tall telegraph pole on the right side.

Swavesey, Station Road c. 1920 note first telegraph poles(Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

Ink drawing of a stone church with a square tower, arched windows, and a graveyard with headstones in the foreground.

Photo of pen sketch, pre 1894 (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

The interior of a church featuring a central aisle flanked by dark wooden pews and stone arches leading to an altar screen.

Swavesey Church c.1930 (Alan Lee Swavesey collection)

A large group of men and boys in white robes and suits posed in front of a stone church building with a large ornate banner.

Swavesey church choir 1933. (Alan Lee Swavesey collection) Back row from left: Will Heffer church warden, Henry Key, Will Froment organ pumper, Bernard Johnson, Sam Mytham, grandfather Rob Mytham, George Scouldan, Dennis Williams clerk, Harry Wells church warden. Centre row from left, Earnest Mytham, John Mytham, George Squeals organist and choir master, Rev. Cecil Dickson, Harry prime, Arthur Heffer. Front row from left, Ted Brashier, Cyril Watson, Alan Lee, Frank Hodson, Alfred Dalton, Cyril Wagstaff.

Six people stand in a row holding bell ropes inside a church, posing for a black and white photograph in the 1970s.

Team of bell ringers from St Andrew’s church 1970s. (Alan Lee Swavesey collection) From left, Brian Wake, Mark Doucefield, Dorothy Bamber, Nicky Bamber, Alison Bamber, Karen Stone.

A stone plaque inscribed with names of the war dead stands above four British Legion flags, surrounded by pews and textiles.

War memorial

Rows of weathered oak pews with carved human-figure finials arranged on a wooden floor in a church interior.

Medieval pews

Rows of wooden pews with carved finials lining a church aisle with a red, black, and white diamond-patterned tiled floor.

Medieval pews

Wooden pew end carving showing a bearded man with long hair wearing a robe with a prominent cross on the chest.

Medieval pew carvings (RGL2026)

A close-up of a weathered wooden carving of an angel with wavy hair and hands pressed together in prayer on a church pew.

Medieval pew carvings (RGL2026)

Detailed wooden carving of a bird with textured feathers perched on top of an ornate, stacked pedestal base.

Medieval pew carvings (RGL2026)

A weathered wooden carving of a winged figure with a rounded head holding a stringed instrument, set atop a decorative post.

Medieval pew carvings (RGL2026)

A carved wooden figure with human facial features and feathered wings crossed over the chest against a blurred background.

Medieval pew carvings (RGL2026)