Why does our church have a Golden Ball?
For us locals we have got quite used to our famous Church with its Golden Ball sat up high on the hill. It can be seen from so far away it’s like a homing beacon. Well it is our house.
St Lawrence Church has only been adorned with the ball for half its life. The original church built in 14th century had a shorter tower. It was a much more modest church. It is believed there has been a church on this site for centuries. With the top of the hill once being an Iron Age fort.
1700’s saw the start of the Grand Tour, I don’t mean Clarkson and his friends driving cars around. The Grand Tour was seen a rite of passage for British nobility and wealthy landed gentry. They took trips lasting several months around France, Switzerland and mainly Italy.
Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet (1708–1781), of West Wycombe Park. At 18 years old, he like many of his peers he travelled visiting Italy on his first tour in 1726–1731 and later in 1739 visiting the Ottoman Empire (Greece, Syria, Russia and Middle East).
Like modern day travellers, he brought home souvenirs. Paintings, furniture, fabrics and sculptures. He also largely changed West Wycombe Park with its impressive Italian inspired house, grounds and follies. Taking inspirations from the architecture of his travels.
St Lawrence Church was transformed in 1763 with vast extensions and striking fresco paintings inspired by Giovanni Borgnis. Sir Francis brought over his own artists from Italy to transform St Lawrence Church.
The church tower was also extended in this renovations. There are eight remarkable bells in the tower. The tower is 80 metres high and there are over 100 steps taking you to the summit, the views from the top of the tower are amazing.
But why the Golden Ball.
When visiting Venice and travelling down the Grand Canal you can’t not be impressed by The golden ball at the top of the Punta della Dogana in Venice (Custom House). The gilded bronze sphere supported by two kneeling figures of Atlas was built between 1677 and 1682 by architect Giuseppe Benoni.
Sir Francis commissioned a golden ball but with a big difference. The Golden Ball in West Wycombe is a room that can sit 8 people. Accessible by a very precarious ladder front the tower. Sir Francis was said to use the Golden Ball for gambling with members of his group the Hellfire Club.
It is said that Sir Francis Dashwood used heliograph to signal through the portholes of the ball to his friend John Norris at his tower at Camberley in Surrey, 21 miles away.
The Golden Ball closed to the public in 1970s. The tower is currently closed due to maintenance.
In 2026 a group of Trustees will be taking over the care of St Lawrence church. Not only do they need to fundraise for St Lawrence maintenance work ( including the regilding of the ball) but also to make St Lawrence self sufficient. For more information on this work or volunteer to help visit their website https://stlawrencechurch.uk