Church bell tower with clock and sunbeams

Granborough, St John the Baptist

A Grade II* listed medieval church dating from the C14th, St John’s is home to pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats, which roost in the chancel.

Church with bell tower surrounded by sun dappled churchyard

Garthorpe, St Mary

Built largely in the C14th this beautiful medieval Grade I listed church is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. Both Natterer’s and brown long-eared bats roost inside the church.

Stone church with bell tower looking from east to west

Freeby, St Mary

The Grade I listed church of St Mary’s, Freeby is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It shelters a maternity colony of Natterer’s bats, as well as roosts of common pipistrelles.

Carved stone above church door depicting mythical beasts and foliage

Egleton, St Edmund

The pretty church of St Edmund’s has a striking Norman tympanum over the south doorway with fine carved mouldings of animals and foliage. The church is home to a large maternity colony of soprano pipistrelles.

Medieval church with stone cross in churchyard

Edgeworth, St Mary

At the end of a narrow single track lane on the outskirts of what has been described as one of the remotest villages in the Cotswolds, St Mary’s is a hidden gem.

West end of stone church with delicate spire and Norman lancet window

Coston, St Andrew

The distinctive medieval church of St Andrew is Grade I listed and home to a maternity colony of Natterer’s bats.

Stained glass image of a man with crown, halo, blue robe and cloak holding a spectre in his left hand

Compton Martin, St Michael the Archangel

The Norman Grade I listed church of St Michael the Archangel is home to seven species of bats.

Aerial view of church with steeple, with churchyard, houses and far views

Cold Overton, St John the Baptist

This Grade I listed church is adorned with rare C13th pre-Reformation wall paintings on two of its lime-plastered walls. Bat boxes in the nave roof provide new roosting spaces for a maternity colony of soprano pipistrelles.

Stone church with battlements and low bell tower

Clothall, St Mary the Virgin

St Mary’s is home to a splendid stained glass window depicting birds of the English countryside as well as more exotic species. It shelters a large number of bats which have a significant impact on the church furnishings and fittings.

Red stone church showing Lady Chapel and table tombs in churchyard

Bruera, St Mary the Virgin

A Norman church with a South Chapel added in the C15th and a quirky timber belfry, St Mary’s was completely restored in the late C19th. It has been home to a colony of brown long-eared bats for many years.