Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Kingsclere The Kingsclere Bed Bug
AO Edited

The Kingsclere Bed Bug

After a night ravaged by bedbugs, it's said King John ordered the creation of this weathervane.

Kingsclere, England

Added By
AdOYo
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
St Mary’s Church with bed bug weather vane on the upper left pole   Grassrootsgroundswell
St Mary’s Church tower with bed bug weather vane on the upper left pole   Colin Smith
Lousy St Luke’s vane   GrindtXX
St Mary’s Church with bed bug weather vane on the upper left pole   David E Cooper
  frankclarkx / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the Hampshire village of Kingsclere, an unusual legend surrounds a curious decoration upon the village’s church, a weather-vane in the shape of a hissing bed bug.

According to the story, during the early 13th-century, King John was caught in a thick fog after a day of hunting. Unable to return from whence they came, the King and his party stayed overnight in Kingsclere. Some tales say they chose to rest in a nearby inn, others claim they stayed with local monks. Wherever it may have been, the king’s sleep is said to have been troubled throughout the night by bedbugs.  

John was so upset, he insisted an ironic dedication to bed bugs be erected on the village's church tower to commemorate his uncomfortable experience. As striking as the weather-vane may sound, it’s ornate legs and tail, six small crosses, allow the bug to blend into the Norman church.

Some dismiss this legend, believing the vane depicts a tortoise signifying patient progress. Although the idea of it being a tortoise is a stretch of the imagination seeing as the creature has six legs. It being a bed bug would also be surprising, as bed bugs were very uncommon in England until the 17th-century. 

St Mary’s in Kingsclere isn’t the only church sporting a mysterious pest. St Luke’s Church in London's Old Street is home to a vane believed to represent a louse. This vermin vane was destroyed in the Blitz of 1940, and when the vicar sought to replace it, experts at the Guildhall Museum informed him they believed the vane was actually a dragon. Although this has not stopped some from referring to the church as "lousy St Luke's." It could also indicate that the Kingsclere Bed Bug may be more myth.

Related Tags

Legends Architecture History & Culture Churches Sacred Spaces

Community Contributors

Added By

AdOYo

Edited By

frankclarkx

  • frankclarkx

Published

July 31, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Skinner, J., Bainbridge, J., Channer, N. and Quail, S., 2011. Hampshire: A Miscellany. Dinton: Francis Frith Collection.
  • https://www.francisfrith.com/uk/kingsclere/the-bed-bug-weathervane_memory-355891
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsclere
  • https://www.hampshire-history.com/st-marys-church-kingsclere/
  • https://www.explorechurches.org/church/st-mary-kingsclere
  • https://www.pantherpestcontrol.co.uk/blog/how-common-bed-bugs-uk/#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20bed%20bugs,then%20the%20problem%20has%20grown.
The Kingsclere Bed Bug
Swan St
Kingsclere, England, RG20 5ND
United Kingdom
51.324942, -1.247577
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Watership Down

Ecchinswell, England

miles away

Jane Austen's Telephone Box

Steventon, England

miles away

The Vyne

Sherborne St John, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,219
Stories 145

Nearby Places

Watership Down

Ecchinswell, England

miles away

Jane Austen's Telephone Box

Steventon, England

miles away

The Vyne

Sherborne St John, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,219
Stories 145

Related Stories and Lists

9 Curious and Quirky English Church Finds

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Chapel on the Dunes

    Port Aransas, Texas

    Chapel on the Dunes

    The oldest functional consecrated church on Mustang Island.

  • Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

    Mantua, Italy

    Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

    The seat of the Mantua bishop holds many secrets within its walls.

  • Saint John Maroon Church

    Freetown, Sierra Leone

    Saint John Maroon Church

    One of the most important Krio heritage sites in the country.

  • Santuario de Nossa Senhora da Peneda

    São Bento do Canto, Portugal

    Santuario de Nossa Senhora da Peneda

    This chapel is the site of a yearly pilgrimage that originated during the Middle Ages.

  • Santa Maria del Soccorso

    Forio, Italy

    Santa Maria del Soccorso

    A snow-white church overlooking the wonderful Tyrrhenian Sea.

  • Dome of San Lorenzo.

    Turin, Italy

    The Dome of San Lorenzo

    The intricate geometry inside this Baroque-style dome was designed to create "terror of the human soul."

  • Front of church.

    Athens, Greece

    Church of Agios Demetrios of Diakos

    This Ottoman-era church is hidden amid a busy tourist area.

  • Church of Agia Fotini Mantineias

    Tripoli, Greece

    Church of Agia Fotini Mantineias

    This church combines Christian, Byzantine, and ancient Greek architectural elements.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.