Church of St. James the Great at Longdon

Longdon Parish Church, St. James The Great, dates from the 12th century and stands at the top of a hill overlooking the rest of the village to the north. An avenue of old yew trees leads up to the Church. The nave contains a very fine Norman arch with Saxon zig-zag ornamentation.
John Stoneywell, Benedictine Abbot of Pershore, erected the chapel on the south side of the Church early in the 16th century and was buried there in 1553. (Stoneywell, just south of Longdon Green was owned by the Stoneywell family). Sometime in the 19th century the old oak box pews were removed from the church (reportedly finding their way into local homes as panelling) later the roof of the nave was entirely renewed. Later still the nave and chancel floors were re-laid, the chancel roof re-slated and the altar brought down into the crossing in the body of the church. Plans to remove the pews were rigorously resisted. The church bells were re-hung and a new 6th bell cast in 1999 to mark the year 2000.