The village, sometimes known at Thorpe Achurch, is close to the busy A605, inbetween Oundle and Thrapston. Despite the close proximity of the main road, the village itself is peaceful and quiet. The church of St John The Baptist serves as the parish church of Achurch and also Lilford. The church at Lilford had fallen in to decay and was demolished in 1778, with the church here covering both villages since that time.
For the most part, the church dates from the 13th century, the exception being the aisles and porch which were built in 1862. The church was founded by Sir Ascelin De Waterville, a crusader knight, who built the church to give thanks for his safe return from the Holy Land. It is said that the coffin shaped stone on the south side of the church is the grave of Sir Ascelin. It is also claimed that the tomb immediately to the side of this stone is the tomb of another crusader knight, Sir Reginald De Waterville. Interesting to see that these tombs each have a grade II listing and English heriatage date them at 15th - 16th century, considerably later than the local legend would suggest!
See Peterborough Churchcrawler for further information.
