Heath Old Church is the last remaining building on the site of the deserted village of Lound. It is to be found off the old road to Palterton which would have been severed by motorway construction and replaced by the major intersection M1 junction 29. It is set on a hilltop plot with a stone edged path leading to a ruined south porch. It was pulled down in 1852 leaving the ruined south porch and south doorway of the nave. A small mortuary chapel was left to serve the burial ground which was still in use.

A Ramcroft resident remembered Heath Old Church when it was intact with an oak door and large stained glass window.

Although it is unknown exactly when the Heath Old Church was built it can be traced from at least 1307 and may be as old as the late 12th century, about 1161.
After demolition what was left was the entrance porch with the stone seating and the larger section with the window for the funeral rites before internment as the new church was under construction and no burial ground was available.

Part of the window frame from the North wall is lying on the ground in front of the wall. It held a stained glass window.

There is a worn Government Ordnance mark on the wall. Churches were considered to be good datum points and often marked. Not so far away is Ault Hucknall Church which is similarly marked.

The newer Heath All Saints Church is ¼ mile away, was built in 1852 and dedicated by the Bishop of Lichfield on 18th July 1853, with restoration work carried out 1882-1886. The old church was then used as a mortuary chapel. In the new church porch are two coffin slabs, one dating from the 11th or 12th century, which came from the ruins of the old church.

Churchyard head stones seem to date from the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
One particularly interesting one appears to be directed at the ‘SPECTATOR’. It is a sad reflection on the times with infant mortality.

SPECTATOR
THIS STONE IS ERECTED
IN
Memory
of
William. Son of Robert
and Zilpah Thompson
who died May 24th. 1827.
Aged 11 weeks.

Also Samuel their Son
who died Sep 2nd 1828
Aged 9 Weeks

Also of the above named
Zilpah Thompson
who died Aug 30th 1831
Aged 31 Years

and on the right hand panel –
ALSO
Jemima
who died
in her infancy

Inside the church is a tombstone and after a good clean almost all of it can be deciphered thus –

HERE LIES THE BODY OF THOMAS
?—? WHO DEPARTED THIS
LIFE NOVEMBER THE 20. 1697
AND IAMES IEFFEREY HIS SON
DEPARTED THIS LIFE IVIY 20
???5

the ‘J’ is carved as an ‘I’ hence IAMES represents JAMES and IVIY would be July