Chilton Candover, Hampshire England UK
[Church of England (Anglican)]
The crypt chapel is all that remains of the ancient Norman church, built around 1100. A later church was built above it, perhaps in the 1300s. In 1562 John Fisher bought the manor and destroyed the entire village except the church and a farm. This medieval church was demolished above ground in 1876 and the crypt was completely forgotten. This underground Norman crypt was discovered in 1928. It has an apse and a tunnel-vaulted room, separated by a narrow archway. The four-feet thick walls have tiny windows set just above ground level. Inside there were old coffins lids and a Norman font. Though unusual, a number of smaller Norman churches had crypts. The crypt is across a field with terraces and hollows that seem to indicate the site of a medieval village. Each year an outdoor Evensong service is held to maintain its consecrated status.