![Riddlington Church](/images/attractions/editor3/Riddlington-9971.jpg)
The church stands on a hillside above the River Gwash and is of 13th-century origin. There is evidence of older habitation in the village, and the curved church boundary suggests that there was a much earlier Saxon church on the spot.
In the interior is a lovely Jacobean memorial to Sir James and Lady Harington, showing the couple in a typical kneeling pose, facing each other across an altar. The colour on the monument seems as fresh and clear as the day it was made.
![The Saxon tympanum](/images/attractions/editor3/Riddlington-9999.jpg)
The major piece of historical interest here is the intriguing late Saxon or early Norman tympanum over the vestry door. This was found in two pieces in 1860; one piece was being used as a window sill.
The tympanum is beautifully carved, with a lion and a winged gryphon fighting, and a figure of a wheel with 8 spokes beneath them. The lion's tail terminates in a trefoiled design. Above the lion are the letters IO (probably for the name 'John'). The entire tympanum is surrounded by a border decorated with guilloche ornamentation.
The exact symbolism is unknown, but the most likely meaning is to represent the never-ending conflict between good and evil. The tympanum is worn but the carving is quite beautifully done.