Lusby

Location

St Peter's Lusby is a fascinating little church, its rust-coloured greenstone walls probably date back to the eleventh century.  The north east angle of the nave has long-and-short work and in the north wall of the chancel has a lovely little keyhole window; both late Saxon.  Inside the church the chancel arch is of a similar date and there are remains of contemporary capitals and shafts to either side of it.  There has been much rebuilding since.  Into the Saxon walls of the nave were inserted two Norman doors, now both blocked.  The north door is decorated with zigzag, the south surmounted with a carved cross. 



The chancel has thirteenth and fifteenth century windows. There was once a west tower, but this disappeared long ago, and its place is now taken by a timber framed porch and vestry designed by Ewan Christian, who restored the church in 1891-3.



The church has evidently been touched by the Catholic movement in the recent past. The sacrament is reserved and statues of St Joseph holding the child Jesus and the Sacred Heart occupy the sill of the south window, next to a fine fourteenth century corbel head of a king. 



The east wall above the chancel arch is painted a bright ochre and the chancel arch itself is filled with a fifteenth century rood screen. In the chancel there is a niche built into the south wall and a touching brass memorial inscription, recording the grief of a husband at the loss of his wife. It was formerly part of the memorial to Katherine Palfreyman, wife of a wool merchant Anthony Palfreyman; she died in 1555.



Access: The church is kept open during the day.  There is plenty of roadside parking outside the church. 

If you want to see some more photos of Lusby look in my Flickr set.