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Lincolnshire's Heritage Churches
Written by Rob Davis on 14th June 2011
TV’s Loyd Grossman, aside from being a gastronome, punk musician, broadsheet journalist and TV presenter, is a keen historian and conservation champion. Visiting the county to champion Lincolnshire’s churches as part of the Churches Conservation Trust, Loyd this month identifies ten ‘rescued’ churches you simply must visit!
24 OF THE most fascinating historic churches in Lincolnshire have been saved by the Churches Conservation Trust.
Each one is Grade I or II* and has been repaired by specialist conservators before promoting them collectively as heritage visitor attractions and community venues.
This month, we investigate efforts by the a national charity which comes to Lincolnshire at Pride goes to press for a whistlestop tour of those buildings which will meet the communities benefitting from the buildings’ continued maintenance.
Chairman of the charity, Loyd Grossman, presenter of Through the Keyhole and Masterchef, will visit too.
“We currently have 342 churches held in trust across the UK.” said Loyd in an exclusive interview with Lincolnshire Pride.
“24 of these are in Lincolnshire, and all of these are Grade II* or Grade I listed. We ask to hold them in trust once they cease to be in regular use when the church vests it to create more active parishes.”
“We encourage the public to visit them and last year welcomed 1.7m people into them, holding 3,500 events for local communities. Village groups and local people who are losing their amenities can use them to hold events and come together.”
A dinner to be held in at the Cathedral Centre after a tour of Lincoln Cathedral on June 22nd and will see Loyd & the CCT meet local business leaders, heritage and tourism communities as well as visiting the 24 churches in Lincolnshire the group is working with.
Loyd gained a Bachelor’s degree in History in Boston, MA. He came to the UK initially for a year to study at the LSE in 1975. A punk musician and music journalist, he went on to write for Harpers & Queen and for The Sunday Times.
“Anyone who visits England can’t fail to be impressed by the architecture.” says Loyd, who also holds a masters degree in art history from Cambridge and an honourary Doctorate from Chester & Lincoln.
“But once our churches are gone, they’re gone forever. We need to conserve and weatherproof the buildings, and ensure they’re used and enjoyed by the public for generations to come.”
Loyd has also worked as a commissioner for English Heritage, and became aware of the work of the CCT, set up in 1969, after meeting several of its previous chairs.
Loyd is also involved in the ArChWay project which will see 14 redundant churches in and around Louth transformed into community arts centres.
Here, Loyd recommends ten of Lincolnshire’s heritage churches to visit this summer, each with its own unique architectural appeal...
1. Louth: The Landmark that Rose from the Ashes - Church of St John the Baptist, Yarburgh. REBUILT after a fire in 1405 and has a prominent sandstone tower which serves as a local landmark.
2. Mablethorpe: A Haunted Marshland Church - St Botolph's Church, Skidbrooke. SET in magnificent isolation in the Lincolnshire marshland, this early Medieval church has the feel of a Great Hall.
3. Grimsby: A Quiet Domesday Church - St Mary's Church, Barnetby-le-Wold. LYING on a 1,000 year old site, St Mary's is a lovely church, lying slightly away from the village on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds as they slope down to the Humber.
4. Stamford: A Church Blessing of Angels... and Green Men! St John's Church, Stamford. THE IMPOSING medieval church of St John the Baptist is wedged in an unlikely setting between two commercial buildings.
5. Market Rasen: A Light and Airy Village Church - St Peter's Church, Normanby-by-Spital. CLOSE Close to Ermine Street, a vital artery in Roman Britain, this small Medieval village church has attractive 12th-century arcade with wonderful carvings and a sturdy and handsome tower.
6. Scunthorpe: Heavenly Constellations — Church of St John the Baptist, Burringham. BUILT by S S Teulon in 1856-57, this striking, red-brick Victorian church is an extraordinary composition inside and out, which shows the architect at his most dramatic and original.
7. Wragby: A Medieval Relic — St Michael’s Church, Buslingthorpe. SET IN GENTLE rolling countryside, St Michael's Church stands framed by the large trees surrounding the part-moated farm to the east.
8. Grantham: A Heavenly Church with a Painting of Hell! St Margaret’s, Haceby. NOTHING REMAINS of Haceby Village save the old church of St Margaret and some grass-covered mounds.
9. Brigg: A Roadside Church, Restored — All Hallows’ Church, Clixby. THIS LITTLE ROADSIDE CHURCH is the 13th-century chancel of a larger church which was a ruin until 1889, when the chancel was gently restored and a west porch added.
