Cadney

Location

Cadney is in an isolated spot three miles south of the bustling market town of Brigg and is approached along a straight road that passes the site of the Gilbertine Priory of Newstead.  The church of All Saints is well worth seeking out.  It managed to escape a Victorian restoration only to be 'discovered' in 1912 by William Weir of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.  Under SPAB's watchful eye, the church was subtly restored by Sir Charles Nicholson between 1912 and 1914.  He managed to maintain the unrestored feel of the building.



The church is essentially of two phases, late Norman and Early English.  Of the former style is the sturdy south arcade, of the latter the west tower and the chancel.  There was once a north aisle too, but that was demolished in the eighteenth century.  In 1912 Sir Charles Nicholson pierced the north wall with windows in his typical 'free Perp' style. 



There is much medieval woodwork of interest.  A fifteenth century rood screen divides the nave from the chancel and the eastern bay of the south aisle is enclosed by two parclose screens, said to come from Newstead Priory.  They must date from the first quarter of the sixteenth century, for they have elaborate panel tracery and the eastern parclose has a panelled dado which  incorporates early renaissance forms.  What else is there?  Well there is a fourteenth century image niche with canopy inserted into the eastern pillar of the sotuh arcade and a striking arcaded Norman font.  All combine to make this a rather memorable building.

Access: The church is kept open during the day. There is ample roadside parking.

If you want to see some more photos of Cadney have a look in my Flickr set.

Glentham

Location

You approach Glentham church from the west and the first thing you encounter is the fairly pedestrian Georgian west tower, built in 1756.  As you round the corner you are in for a great surprise.  For over the south porch and presumably still in situ, is a lovely, if weathered, panel of Our Lady of Pity. This image, one of the most popular images in late medieval English iconography, shows the Virgin Mary seated holding her dead son, who is lying across her lap.  It is a remarkable survival.  Below the panel and incorporated into the niche are the arms of the Tourney family of Caenby, who probably paid for the image and the porch. 



You enter the church through the west door and emerging from the tower under a Georgian west gallery.  The nave, which is an extremely spacious Perpendicular space, is filled with contemporary  pitch pine box pews.  The aisles are paved in brick.   



There are some interesting features within.  At the east end of the north aisle there is evidence of a medieval side altar, a reredos niche and an image bracket.  At the east end of the south aisle is a fine fourteenth century wooden chest, with chip-carved decoration.  At the west end, beside the Early English font and with her legs tucked under the gallery stair, is a fourteenth century effigy of a woman.  In the north chapel, now the vestry, is a brass to Elixabeth Tourney who died in 1452, but you can't see it as it's under the fitted carpet! To top it off, the north aisle has a window of 1915 by Christopher Whall.



Access: The church is kept locked but there is a keyholder notice in the south porch.  There is ample parking at the west end of the church.

If you want to see some more photos of Glentham have a look at my Flickr set.

Caenby

Location

The tiny church of St Nicholas, consisting of a nave and chancel, is down a lane south of Glentworth.  The church, medieval in origin, was restored in 1869 and most of what you see externally is of that date.  The church was made redundant in 1975 and sold into private hands and is now used as a store.  Sadly it wasn't possible to get inside.  I was cheered to see that some structural work is being undertaken on the churchyard walls and the church itself appeared to be in good order. 



Access:  The church is locked and there is no keyholder.  The church is up a farm track and there is limited parking just to the south of the church to the right hand side of the track.

Clixby

Location

In 1727 most of All Hallows Clixby was demolished, leaving the chancel to serve as the parish church.  Built into the west wall of the chancel are the former chancel arch and the responds of the former nave aisles.  The capitals of the responds are decorated with nailhead decoration, providing evidence that the lost elements of the building were mostly Early English.  The reset door of the porch is decorated with dogtooth.  The chancel was restored in 1889 by Charles Hodgson Fowler and inside has a wonderful Bodleyesque roof in reds and greens with stencilled motifs and texts.  On the floor in front of the high altar is a fourteenth century incised slab decorated with a cross and a chalice, covering the grave of a priest, Robert Blanchard. 





Then there is the font.  Clixby has one of the finest fifteenth century fonts in the county.  The sixteen panels of the bowl and stem are decorated with a wide range of different motifs, including figures of the apostles holding their attributes, a glorious angel with wings unfurled, a rose and other foliage forms.  The figures all have a wild mop of hair that stands out from their heads, which seems to be a characteristic of fifteenth century sculpture from the Lincolnshire Marsh, see my link here for another example.  The font doesn't originate here or in the Lincolnshire Marsh, but was to Clixby from St Peter's Low Toynton in the Wolds when that church was declared redundant in 1973.  If you have a strong stomach you will find a photo of the interior Low Toynton church here. The font is in safe hands, for although Clixby church is redundant too, it is cared for my the Churches Conservation Trust.     



Access: The church is kept open during daylight hours.  Parking is a little tricky, but there is limited roadside parking directly opposite the church.  Do take care as the road passing the church is quite fast. 

If you want to see further photos of Clixby look in my Flickr set

Torksey

Location

Torksey is a place of great interest.  Built at the point where the Roman Foss Dyke meets the river Trent, the Romans established a town here called Tiovulfingacester.  In the seventh century St Paulinus baptised a great multitude of people in the river near Torksey, in the presence of King Edwin.  At the time of Domesday Book there were three thousand people living here and of all the settlements in Lincolnshire, only Lincoln and Stamford were larger.  In the Middle Ages as well as St Peter's, there were two other parish churches in Torksey, All Saints and St Mary's and two monasteries, a house of Augustinian Canons and the priory of Foss for Cistercian nuns. 

The settlement has shrunk to a quarter of its former size and all that is now left of this rich ecclesiastical heritage is St Peter's church.  The rendered nave of St Peter's, with its windows of 1821-2. doesn't look all that promising from the outside, but fetching the key is well worth the effort, for the plain exterior belies an interior that has much of interest that reflects the rich history of the place.  The north arcade is a fine example of Early English work, wit glorious stiff lead capitals and the font of slightly earlier is also decorated with a beautiful band of stiff leaf.  High up on the south wall of the nave is a rather battered figure with thin legs and its hands on its groin, clearly reset from elsewhere.  Some believe that it's a sheele-na-gig. 




If you go into the chancel lift the frontal of the altar and you will reveal quite a surprise, for the front of the stone altar is made from an incised slab of a woman with a dog at her feet, Lady Margaret, who died sometime in the fifteenth century.  She is said to have been prioress of the priory of Foss, but this is far from certain.

Access: The church is on a main road and parking is difficult.  I suggest parking in the car park of the Hume Arms opposite. The church is kept locked, but there is a keyholder notice. 

If you want to see some more photos of Torksey have a look at my Flickr set

Grainsby

Location

The tiny village of Grainsby is situated just where the Lincolnshire Wolds dips down to meet the marsh.  It is a pretty little estate village with a delightful park full of medieval ridge-and-furrow.  Until 1972 the park surrounded Grainsby Hall, the home of the Haigh family, a family of Halifax textile merchants who inherited the estate in 1829.  The village church of St Nicholas is a rustic little building.  With a Norman nave (see the south door) and an Early English tower, the church was restored in 1834 when domestic looking windows were inserted into the nave walls.  The medieval work is constructed of local Wolds material, chalk and ironstone and it contrasts wonderfully with the local brick of the 1834 work.





The interior is as textured and rustic as the outside.  The north wall slopes away at quite and angle, so it's no surprise it needed rebuilding in 1834.  The nave floor is paved with more of the brick of 1834 and dividing the nave from the chancel is a restored sixteenth century rood screen.  At the west end of the nave is the Haigh family pew and a hatchment commemorating George Haigh, who died in 1887.   Above the plain Norman drum font is a royal arms of 1804, so blackened with age that the arms can barely be made out.



Recently restored and lovingly cared for, this is a church that is not to be missed.



Access:  There is parking on the verge to the east of the church.  The church is open during daylight hours.

For more photos of Grainsby church see my Flickr set

Usselby

Location

Usselby is a place I've passed many, many times, as it's just off the main road between Lincoln and Grimsby, but I have to confess I didn't know it existed!  Down a little lane between farm buildings is this delightful little building.  Medieval in origin, much of what your eye takes in, including the little weathereboarded turret dates from 1749.  Inside there is an inscription recording the restoration of the building with funds provided by Queen Ann's Bounty, I didn't get to see that, as the church was firmly locked!  There was a further restoration in 1889 by Charles Hodgson Fowler it now looks in need of furrther work.  Pevsner lists the church as redundant, but apparently it isn't. Although I understand that the parish currently has no churchwarden and therefore its future is very precarious, they do manage to say evensong once a month.  Perhaps the future of the church would be better assured if it was kept open and accessible?



Access: The church is kept locked and there is no keyholder listed.

If you want to see some more photos of Usselby look on the Flickr set