I finally did the Farnham to Alton walk I'd been promising myself for years. On the way I stopped off at this gorgeous church.

The church has been around for over 1000 years. The Saxons built the original and then the Normans rebuilt it and some of their work remains. For instance, the lower parts of the tower and its west wondow are of Norman construction. Only a little remains of the Saxon church - some dog toothed mouldings are on the south wall of the nave.

There is a beautiful stained glass window, depicting Justice, Mercy and Charity. It is called the James Window as the James family gave their house to the parish as the vicarage.Three ancient bells hang in the tower. The oldest was cast in the 15th century in the Woking Foundry. The other two date from 1600 and 1728. They were tuned and rehung in 1951 - what a rotten job!

The name Holybourne, refers to the stream that runs through the village and behind the church is a lovely, still pond, complete with seat for tranquil reflection. The day I sat on it and attempted some, a couple of workmen were working on the church renovations with some sort of heavy machinery making tranquility impossible!