These structures are marvellous, well to me i think so. To this end i marvel at the craft, timber beams, thatch or tile on top, a sudden theatrical sense of stepping into place out time with that of my own time, and all the better for it.
Resurrection gates of Lych, the word being Saxon for corpse. So these structures did just that, to provide a shelter for the deceased rest before interment into eternity.
There is an age old tale that beside each Lychgate, stands the last person to be buried in the churchyard, keeping watch til they are relieved by the newest arrival. Now I don’t believe in any of this folklore, but if i had just a smidgen more fantasy in my heart, well I could so easily fall in love with this wonderfully romantic idea.