The Church
Hardwick is a small, rural late Norman church. It originally had a round tower but this collapsed in 1770 and just the base can be seen today.
The jewel of the church is the late 14th century St Christopher wall painting directly opposite the south door. As well as St Christopher, this features a slightly faded image of an angler and a tree with an owl and other birds.
Our Work
Hardwick is home to a small number of Common Pipistrelle bats, however there is concern that the bats may be damaging the wall painting in particular.
The Bats in Churches project has commissioned a full report on the condition of the wall painting from Andrea Kirkham. This report has been used to support the plans to exclude the bats from the interior, and will be invaluable for any future conservation work.
The church had a full suite of bat surveys in summer 2019 and this included proposals to erect a pole mounted bat box in the church yard and an exterior box on the south side of the church. The church is looking to apply for faculty and planning to have these installed at which point a licence may be granted to exclude bats from the interior of the church.
Hardwick Case Study Poster
Hardwick Fact Sheet
Hardwick Bat Management Plan
Hardwick Wall Painting Report 2019
Upcoming events
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit their page on A Church Near You