We have spent the last few months visiting some of the lovely churches in Lincolnshire. They are now on the web here:
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ire/index.html

English churches are a much undervalued part of our countryside. We tend to take them for granted and apart from places like Lincoln Cathedral,
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ral/index.html
few people visit our churches apart from the occasional christening, wedding or funeral. This is a shame as many of the churches are well worth visiting. There is always a sense of excitement as we push open the door. We are rarely disappointed.

The lovely Minster Church of St Mary at Stow with its Saxon tower and Norman architecture, predates the cathedral and is often referred to as the Mother Church of Lincoln.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...tow/index.html

Another church with a saxon tower and baptistry is St Peter’s in Barton upon Humber. The church was the site of a major Saxon cemetery which was the cause of great excitement and interest when it was excavated about 20 years ago. The church is no longer in use and is cared for by English heritage with an exhibition with displays of skeletons and grave goods.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ter/index.html

St Edith’s Church is well off the beaten track with only a farm for company. The church survived damage during the Reformation and still has its Rood Loft with stairs.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...tes/index.html

St John the Evangelist in Corby Glen is just a typical English church from the outside, but inside the walls of the nave and side aisles are covered with C14th and C15th wall paintings. Not only are these the best wall paintings to survive in Lincolnshire, they are among the best in the country. If you want to find out what a medieval church may have looked like, then this is the place to visit.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...len/index.html

Very different is the small classical church of St Helen’s in Saxby
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...xby/index.html
and the grander All Saint’s Church in Gainsborough.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ugh/index.html

In Medieval times, Lincolnshire was a lot more heavily settled than now. The Black Death and a series of bad harvests led to many villages being deserted. The churches survive but many are no longer in use and are cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.

The chancel of St Lawrence’s Church, Snarford was enlarged in 1600 to house the grand tombs of the St Paul family. Behind the altar is the massive six poster bed tomb of Sir Paul and his wife Faith. Simon Jenkin’s in England’s Thousand Best Churches says “It deserves to rank with the Great Bed of Ware in the catalogue of English slumber”. It has to be seen.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ord/index.html

All Saints’ Church in Theddlethorpe has some of the most beautiful carved wood screens in Lincolnshire.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...rpe/index.html

The tiny brick built St george’s Church at Goltho has an unspoilt Georgian interior.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...tho/index.html

St Martin’s Church at Waithe has a stunning tiled chancel built as a mausoleum for the Haigh family of nearby Grainsby.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...the/index.html

And finally there is the ruined St Botolph’s Church Skidbrooke, reputedly the most haunted site in Lincolnshire....
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...oke/index.html

An interesting post.

My own parish of South Lafford in the south of Lincolnshire has a population of just over 2000 and 11 churches, one for each small village, and all but one medieval. That's a lot of ancient buildings to maintain, even if we all attended and supported church.

Thanks for posting.

A few years ago we used Simon Jenkin's England's 1000 Best Chirches to see out lovely parish churches on a trip we took across England. It was a lovely way to see more of the countryside and to explore our architectural heritage.

Incidentally, I passed another St Botolph’s today very close to Liverpool Street.

A good saint for Fodor's as he's the saint of travellers.

As well as Simon Jenkin's England's 1000 best churches, there is also the Daily Telegraph Guide to England's Parish Churches. This covers 600 churches. The list covers many of the churches covered by Simon Jenkin's but there are a few different ones. They work well together.

The descriptions are more like jotted notes than well thought out prose. At times this brevity means that it isn't always clear where to look things in the church.

Over the last couple of months I have been bouncing around rural North Lincolnshire on the bus visiting some more churches. It is surprising where you can get to if you put your mind to it. Several of these are kept locked so it took some searching to locate a key holder. All of them were delighted someone was interested in their church and so pleased to show me round. I visited so many it necessitated a major rewrite for Lincolnshire. These (after a few hiccups) are now on the web.

They include St Lawrence’s Church in Thornton Curtis
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...tis/index.html
with its beautiful carved black Tournai Marble font. These were carved in Belgium and sold throughout western Europe. It was a Medieval status symbol. Only seven survive in Britain, including one at Lincoln Cathedral.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ral/index.html
The church is now much too big for the village, but had belonged to the wealthy Thornton Abbey.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...bey/index.html

Winterton
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ton/index.html
is another large church and very much part of the local community. A major restoration of the church is reaching completion which has replaced the uncomfortable Victorian pews with more comfortable chairs. The Victorian heating system has been replaced by underfloor heating. The clerestory was added at the beginning of the C20th and the join where the pillars had to be heightened is very obvious. The original 1200 font was discovered in a local garden and is now back in the church.

All Saint’s Church
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...nts/index.html
in Saxby All Saints was completely rebuilt in the C19th to a design of Sir George Gilbert Scott. It is one of the few of his churches which hasn’t been spoilt by later additions. It has some lovely C19th stained glass including the beautiful Kempe window of the Virgin and Child. This is pale pastel colours and can be easily overlooked. The church has a splendid selection of kneelers embroidered by the congregation.

Neighbouring churches in Scawby
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...wby/index.html
and Hibaldstow
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...tow/index.html
are two of only three churches in England dedicated to St Hybald, a rather obscure local C7th saint. When the church in Hibaldstow was restored in the C19th, a stone coffin was discovered beneath the floor and was believed to be that of St Hybald. Most saint’s relics were destroyed during the Reformation and this is a rare survival. Perhaps he was so obscure no-one bothered to destroy him.

St Andrew’s Church
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...rew/index.html
in Epworth is on the tourist trail as Samuel Wesley, the father of John and Charles was rector here. John was banned from preaching in the church, so climbed onto his father’s grave stone and preached from that.

Also in Epworth is the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ist/index.html
Although credited with the foundation of Methodism, both John and Charles remained Anglican ministers until their death. Their ambition was to reform the Church of England, not start a new movement. The was built in 1889 as a memorial to them.