IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
William Burt Close, AYLESBURY, HP22 5QX

A view upstream along the brook which has flowed roughly northwards from Weston Turville reservoir. It is seen here as it is about to flow under Church Lane on the eastern outskirts of the village.

26 School Lane dates back to the 17th century and is a timber framed building with painted plaster and brick infill. It was originally two cottages.

26 School Lane dates back to the 17th century and is a timber framed building with painted plaster and brick infill. It was originally two cottages.

See Image for more information on this lychgate.

The Lychgate of St Mary the Virgin is of a very unusual design and is a grade II listed building http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=42895&mode=quick and has been renovated in 2006. The gate is mounted on a wooden post which is pivoted top and bottom and there is a weight and pulley mechanism to automatically close the gate Image . Gates of a similar design occur at Chalfont St Giles (Buckinghamshire) http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=44397&mode=quick , Heston (Middlesex) http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=202591&mode=quick and Burnsall (Yorkshire) http://www.skiptonweb.co.uk/gallery/picture.asp?id=1782 and Image . The Lychgate carries the plaque “This Tapsell Lychgate was faithfully renovated by Don Billing 2004.” Wikipedia has a page on the Tapsel or Tapsell lychgates of Sussex http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapsel_gate and it is clear that while these gates are resolve on a central post, the design is fundamentally different. The earliest gate in Sussex is believed to have been named after John Tapsel or Tapsell, probably in 1729. It seems that in 1896 the Heston gate was (incorrectly?) described as a Tapsel gate http://sac.pastfinders.org/sac_040.htm and since then the name has sometimes also been applied to gates closed with a chain, pulley and counterweight. See Image for general information about the church.

This unusual lychgate is at the entrance to the grounds of St Mary's church in Weston Turville. It is of the "Tapsell" type which has a double width gate pivoted about a central pillar, and in this case counterbalanced by a weight to ease its operation. There is a small plaque on the gate stating that: "This Tapsell Lychgate was faithfully renovated by Don Billing 2004"

The tower of the Grade I listed http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1118358&searchtype=mapsearch St.Mary's church in Weston Turville. This C15th tower is somewhat younger than the rest of the church which dates mainly from the C13th and C14th, though containing an even earlier C12th "Aylesbury" font.