9 Curious and Quirky English Church Finds

Atlas Obscura would not be possible without the dedicated work of our community, who help us add more wondrous places to the site every day. We want to give some of our most dedicated contributors a chance to share collections of some of their favorite entries, and tell us all a little more about themselves. AdOYo is one of our most ardent, dedicated, and thoughtful contributors. He tops our leaderboards in places found in his hometown in England.  

“I grew up Essex in east England, an area that is marked by so much of the country’s early history. I spent much of my time exploring places that told stories from as far back as the Roman invasion, all the way through Saxon kingdoms and Viking attacks—to medieval rebellion, civil war, and witch hunts,” he says. “For the past five years, I have been based in the south of England, in cities and countrysides that tell a much more tame, but no less deep, story of England’s history.

“I have a passion for adventure and discovery, the surprising and spooky. I am fascinated by people’s history and folklore, the lives, beliefs, and superstitions of ordinary folk through time,” he continues. “Atlas Obscura has allowed me to find out so much about these topics, as well as share what I have discovered, often things that would otherwise have been lost to time or overlooked.”

For this list, AdOYo has compiled some fascinating, curious, quirky church finds throughout the country. “I have found that churches often contain the most unexpected hidden gems that tell the unique stories of the life of the building and those it has served,” he says. “There is nothing I love more than discovering these deeper stories and hidden histories.”