Back door

Today I stopped off in Headley. In my childhood the tall spire of Headley church was visible from miles around. Now as trees have grown, it is not such a feature. I had hoped to look inside the church but it was locked. Instead I explored the churchyard which is very extensive for such a small village. At the far side there are two of these little lych gates leading out into open country. Why were they put there? Did people trudge from far and wide across the fields on a Sunday morning and come in the back way to the churchyard?
The countryside looks peaceful in the blip, but the M25 is just three fields away and the noise of traffic is a constant background.