It has stood at the heart of its community since before the Norman conquest.
And now the future of St Botolph's church in Barford is assured thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant.
The HLF has awarded £19,500 for St Botolph's parochial church council to develop plans to restore the building, which is suffering water damage due to flaws in the roof, to the point where there is a risk of the structure becoming unsafe.
The council also plans modest changes to the church's layout to encourage more community use.
Revd Tim Weatherstone said: 'We are delighted that we have received this support thanks to National Lottery players.
'This wonderful building has meant so much to the local community for over a thousand years and with the plans we can now progress, thanks to the HLF, will make it available, and more accessible, for generations to come'.
Revd Weatherstone said professional opinion indicated that St Botolph's has served the village since before the 11th century Norman conquest, and had many interesting architectural features which the works would help to preserve.
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