Location
You will find St Mary's Claxby on a back lane with glorious views north across the Wolds towards Nettleton Top. Built, like most Wolds churches, of ironstone, it is quite a grand building for this area. It is mostly Early English, but was restored in 1871 by James Fowler of Louth. It wasn't a severe Fowler restoration, for although he provided new furnishings, he left behind a lot of interesting features. The Early English chancel arch is supported on two rather cheeky corbels; one showing a man sticking out his tongue, the other a man with his hands on his mouth as though suffering from toothache.
In the chancel are a series of interesting monuments. In a niche in the north walls is a thirteenth century cross slab. On the south wall is a painted stone monument in a severed classical style. Erected in 1605 it incorporates the rather battered kneeling effigies of the lord of Claxby, John Witherwick (died 1595) his wife Elizabeth FitzWilliam and their only daughter. On the wall beside it is an armorial brass to Elizabeth's second husband William FitzWilliam who died in 1634 and their daughter Mary Monson who died in 1638.
Moving to the nave there is a striking late Victorian painting of the Annunciation. Said to come from St Paul's church in Burton on Trent in Staffordshire, it is one of seven similar paintings in the area. G F Bodley did work at St Paul's and it is possible he was responsible for the painting.
Access: The church is kept open during daylight hours and there is parking in the lane next to the church.
If you would like to see some more photos of Claxby have look in my Flickr folder.
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