Anyone Ever Seen A Rural Church Flooded?

[RobNorth]

Aerial photographs of flooding usually show rural churches and surrounding houses high and dry. As most were built centuries ago this appears to demonstrate that these situations have been with us for some time...

[barry1010]

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2007/27-july/news/uk/churches-rally-to-aid-flood-victims

[webbo3]

https://www.google.com/search?q=church+flooded&tbm=isch&;ved=2ahUKEwiD8f7YyqruAhUJyxQKHS3ADWQQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=church+flooded&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQBxAeMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAgQHjIGCAAQCBAeUPO4AlirvQJg4c8CaABwAHgAgAFkiAGTApIBAzIuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=lisIYIPOOImWU62At6AG&bih=937&biw=1920

[barry1010]

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/21-february/news/uk/fresh-week-of-floods-hits-more-churches

[jno]

people do tend to build churches on the highest ground they can find so they look down on their congregations (same for castles). As for houses, people build where they want or, failing that, where they can. There's a reason for not building on flood plains, but if that's the only place they can afford, that's where people will llive, with their fingers crossed.

If you're a fishing village you'll want to be near the water. If a farming settlement, you can live higher up. (But being high on a windswept moor may also have disadvantages.)

[pastafreak]

I was told when I first moved to the UK, that churches were built on high ground to make them visable and easier to see from outlying villages. So similar to jno's answer. I suppose that being on higher ground was also symbolic of the power and protection of the church/Church.

[roopower]

My aunt is a churchwarden at a village church in rural Herefordshire. Her church has flooded at least twice - from below. I assume tge water seeped through the ground from a river.

[RobNorth]

PF, your answer makes a lot of sense. I also thought about Yew trees, which long preceded churches as places of worship and in many cases churches were just built on the same site, accounting for the presence of Yews in and around many churchyards - they live a VERY long time, but only with adequate drainage as they quickly die in wet ground...ergo, Yews and (older) churches tend to be elevated.

[douglas9401]

It may also explain all the ewes on hillsides.

[joeski53]

https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/18226841.parish-church-st-mary-radcliffe-flooded/
St thomas,s nr Manchester flooded but not as bad as 2015 when it was under about 6/7 feet of water