This is an initiative run by the God’s Own Acre organisation whose aim is to encourage ‘all who help to look after churchyards, chapel yards and cemeteries to celebrate these fantastic places in the lovely month of June – in any way they choose.’ I visited a little churchyard last week that was maintained by God’s Own Acre in that there was no mowing to encourage wildlife and biodiversity. As a result, it was alive with moths, butterflies, moon daisies and dragonflies. So here is a small gallery of my favourite finds in churchyards.

In 2019 I was dared to visit the allegedly most haunted village in Britain – Pluckley in Kent. It was full of disappointed ghost hunters but in the churchyard of St Nicholas I found a new symbol – Old Father Time which I have found in other Kent churchyards such as St John the Baptist in Meopham and the former All Saints in Chatham. I was just hoping that the headstone didn’t fall on me and I would join the other permanent residents.

This is now under ivy which may preserve it. I have found it in other Kent churchyards such as at Strood.

It’s dedicated to a woman, Catherine Bromley who was married to Will and died aged 33. If you would like to know more about her, the carving featured as a Symbol of the Month.

This one also featured as a Symbol of the Month as it was such a surprise to turn around in a pretty country churchyard and suddenly there it was. A carving that I had never seen before. Sadly, I could find out nothing about Alice Stone. I called it ‘The Choice’ and recently found it in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin at Newington, Kent in five different versions!

Although headless, I thought that this was similar to a lady on a headstone at All Saints, Frindsbury and they became Symbols of the Month. I thought that they might be representations of the Greek Goddess Hebe which set me thinking about pagan symbols in churchyards and, as a result, I gave an online presentation on it to a myths group. photo ©Carole Tyrrell

This is the oldest tombstone that I have seen so far in the porch of St Nicholas, Sturry, Kent Photo ©Carole Tyrrell

However, this smiley little imp looks down on all those using the outdoor loo at St James’s church in Cooling, Kent – does he know something we don’t? Photo ©Carole Tyrrell

Text and photos ©Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated.