St Mary’s Priory Church

1128 Reviews

Star Travel Rating

5/5

Review type

Things to do

Location

Date of travel

June, 2021

Product name

Product country

Product city

Travelled with

Solo

Reasons for trip

Only the nave of the original priory church survives and it still feels like a Norman building inside with the round Norman pillars of the filled in arcades, their round arches and the Transitional triforium above them. The nave is very simple and still has its C19th pews.

The perpendicular window at the west end is from the C15 rebuild. The blind arcading at the back of the north wall and the elaborate pillar date from then.

The simple wooden roof with its painted bosses was part of the C19th restoration, as is the chancel with its lovely woodwork. The altar with its tall tester is particularly striking and very typical of the workmanship of Temple Moore. The pulpit, lectern and font are all C19th.

Some of the medieval misericords survive. The rest along with the choir stalls are C19th.

Against the south wall of the sanctuary is a C13th coffin lid.

There are display panels at the back of the church about St Gilbert of Sempringham and also a display case with artefacts found around the site. These include the remains of an Anglo Scandinavian cross shaft.

There is a very good guide bopok in the church and it makes a werll worthwhile visit.

ESW

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