Peter and St Paul, Hannington, could therefore be considered to be unique in England. The delicate medieval screen now enclosing the vestry was originally placed across the arch separating the chancel (occupied only by the priest and assistants), from the nave (used by the people). The oak pulpit is of similar age. In 1562 Thomas Godwin became Rector of Hannington. In the same year he baptised his baby son Francis in Hannington's church. The Reverend Thomas left to become Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and eventually Bishop of Bath and Wells. His son Francis became Bishop of Hereford and wrote the first science-fiction novel in the English language, The Man in the Moone, a fascinating read with amazing predictions. By the mid 19th century the church had fallen into a serious state of disrepair and was little more than a ruin, but thankfully in 1869 the building was restored to its former glory and a new Rectory was built alongside it. The person responsible for this was the Rector, John Downes. He personally paid for the restoration and for the building of the Rectory, now called Hannington House. It was John Downes' wife Lucy who founded the school in Hannington in 1871, and this school building still exists and is used as the Village Hall. A portrait of Lucy Downes hangs in the building to this day, having been donated by the family in the 1970s. John Downes is perhaps one of the village's most notable past residents. A graduate of Cambridge University, he studied botany with Professor Henshaw alongside Charles Darwin. It is believed that Downes had been offered the position of botanist on HMS Beagle which he declined, as his vocation was in the Church. He then went on to become a parish priest. This role of botanist was then taken on by Darwin. But John Downes is famous in his own right for his work, and from time to time Hannington receives visitors interested in his background. There is a memorial to John Downes, his wife and his daughter in the church in the form of a stained glass window in the east wall. Clearly the church would have been at the heart of village life in Hannington. However, since 1954 the village has shared a vicar with the neighbouring parishes of Walgrave and Old, and more recently, Scaldwell. Older villagers can recall there being a good