copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
West Lindsey Church Festival 2019 – Minting St. Andrew in Pictures, Part 2
Tag: West Lindsey Churches Festival
English Parish Churches, Lincolnshire – Minting Saint Andrew, Part 1
The church at Minting was rebuilt in 1863, though the chancel retains medieval work.
As with many places around this area of Lincolnshire, there are the remains of a former monastery; in this case a Benedictine priory.
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
English Churches: Bardney, Lincolnshire
A celebration in pictures of the glory of English ecclesiastical heritage.
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
Bardney Church, Lincolnshire – A Celebration in Pictures, Part 2
Inside the church there are echoes of Bardney’s former glory as the place of an important monastery. This whole region of Lincolnshire was at one time littered with abbeys, priories and nunneries.
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
Celebration of Lincolnshire Churches 2019 – Bardney, Part 1
We recently visited the West Lindsey Churches Festival. One of the most interesting was Bardney’s Church of Saint Lawrence.
The church is impressive with a large nave, indicative of this settlement’s once important though now long dissolved abbey.
As in all the churches in West Lindsey, there were stalls with items for sale, as well as food and drink.
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
The Wild Man of Stainfield? – Fascinating Lincolnshire Churches, Stainfield, Part 3
The origin of the legend of the Wild Man of Stainfield is unclear. No one seems to know who he was, though some thought he generally went about naked, his body covered in hair.
Even the date of his existence is not certain, though most put it sometime during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Nevertheless, there does appear to be some clarity regarding his actions. He was a woodlander, who reputedly took cattle and sheep, presumably for food, maybe clothing. Some even think that he killed humans too.
One story states that it was a descendant of Sir Francis Drake who finally killed the Wild Man of Stainfield. There began the association of the Drake family with the area.
Stories of his demise are disputed too. Another tale describes those who later became known as the ‘Hardy Gang’, who got together to rid the area of this wildling. Some say this is how nearby Hardygang Wood got its name.
All in all, Stainfield is a fascinating village with a remarkable history – and a legend to boot.
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
Remarkable English Church, Stainfield, Lincolnshire, Part 2
Saint Andrew’s church in Stainfield is remarkable. It’s thought that Christopher Wren designed the building following a visit.
The church has been open since 1711 and is still a regular place of worship, though the burial ground these days is at nearby Apley.
This area of Lincolnshire is notable for its rich ecclesiastical history, particularly in regard to monasteries, the abbeys and priories that were finally dissolved by Henry VIII between 1536 and 1540.
Inheritance
There was a priory here dedicated to Saint Mary until that time, though not much detail of its history survives. The priory remains have not been excavated, though part of it is said to form part of the wall of the present church.
At the time of its dissolution, the priory was given over to the Tyrwhitt family, in whose hands it remained until about seventy years ago.
A most remarkable inheritance from that long period are The Tyrwhitt Tapestries, actually cross stitch embroidery work. Today they hang along the north wall of the church.
The tapestries were originally made for the opening of the church in 1711 and consist of five religious pieces, including the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer.
The Ten Commandments piece was re-stitched some time in the late 19th century, and much rather difficult preservation work has been carried out on them since.
Fascinating English Churches – Stainfield, Lincolnshire, Part 1
Saint Andrew’s Church Stainfield in West Lindsey Lincolnshire, was reputedly designed by Sir Christopher Wren – yes, he of Saint Paul’s Cathedral fame.
Built in 1711, the church boasts many interesting features, and is made of red brick with stone quoins, apart from the stone eastern wall; this may be a remnant of the former medieval priory.
The visit was part of our short tour of the West Lindsey Church Festival, which takes place over two weekends every May. More on this fascinating church to follow.
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
Celebrating English and Lincolnshire Churches – Apley: Small is Beautiful
Apley’s church of Saint Andrew really is a little gem.
When we arrived there we were astonished to see just how small it was. There were cars outside, but was there really anyone inside? I mean, how many could you get in there?
Well, it turns out that, on occasion, there are up to 15 worshippers, and there are often christenings too. So as far as the Apley community and ourselves are concerned, small is beautiful.
Apley is a small hamlet between Lincoln and Horncastle, nestled in the gently rolling hills of north-central Lincolnshire, the historic riding of Lindsey that used to be a kingdom in its own right about thirteen hundred years ago.
That said, it was not too easy for us to find, but it’s well worth a visit. The church, for such a limited space, could boast many items of interest, see photographs.
And once more, we were treated royally by our hosts!
copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019
Celebrating Lincolnshire Churches Heritage: Wragby
Every May, West Lindsey in north Lincolnshire has two open weekends to encourage visitors, with displays, old books for sale, exhibitions and lots of tea and cake.
The photographs here are of Wragby church, dedicated to All Saints.
The church was built in Victorian times and has some fine stained glass windows.
Leofwine Tanner 2019
Celebrate Lincolnshire Churches – Cherry Willingham
One of the most fascinating churches we visited during the West Lindsey Churches Festival this May, was at Cherry Willingham, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, a Grade 1 listed Georgian building.
Sitting at the highest point of the village, there are steep steps to the entrance. Suddenly you are confronted by a terrific example of Georgian architecture. From the west door entrance, you can see right through to a wonderful reredos resplendent behind the altar.
Once more we were greeted by very pleasant local people, who filled us in with all the salient historical and current facts.
Home made cakes and refreshments were on offer and there was a display of the charities the church supports.
Although quite small, what the building lacks in size it more than makes up for in style and detail.
It opened in 1753, its founder a certain Thomas Becke, who had bought an estate in the village. Inside there is a large marble monument to Mr Becke. The church is built with local Ancaster limestone, infused with fossils.
Most pleasing about the design of this small church is the quality of the light afforded by the style of windows (although our photographs possibly don’t quite do that justice), aided certainly by it being a sunny spring day, yet these large windows would surely afford good natural lighting on any cloudy day.
The volunteers told us that at present there is no toilet in the church – though that particular facility is arriving very soon. In the meanwhile, the very kind and courteous vicar took us to her nearby house so that we could perform that particular function!
This typifies the whole spirit we felt within the church, that of community and care. Thank you Cherry Willingham.
Leofwine Tanner 2019
The Elloe Recorder 