Silverley Church

Image: © Bob Jones Taken: 24 Nov 2008

The derelict church of All Saints lies in a small wood at a road junction about a mile to the south of the village of Ashley. The earliest reference to a church at Silverley dates to 1254, but by the 16th century the settlement had contracted northwards and the church at Silverley had fallen out of use. Accounts and sketches made in 1752 show that the church had fallen into complete dereliction by this time, with only the tower and a few scattered ruins surviving. During the mid 19th century a new church was constructed in the village of Ashley, whilst the churchyard at Silverley was used for tree planting. Remains visible today include the church tower, dated to the later 14th century, built in the Decorated style from flint rubble with limestone dressings. The tower is three stories high, standing to a height of 12.5m, with remains of an internal spiral staircase and some plaster surviving on the walls. The plan of the remainder of the church can be traced as a low bank in the undergrowth to the east of the tower.

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