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St Edith - Coats by Stow

Welcome to the 2024 West Lindsey’s Churches Festival...

We invite you to explore 88 of our best treasures in the 2024 West Lindsey Churches Festival. Step back in time to the year 875, when Bishop Aelfnoth built his church at Stow, to serve, it seems as Mother Church for his Lincolnshire Diocese. 

St Mary’s, Stow is a treasure trove of beautiful artefacts and architecture. Other fine churches with Saxon origins can be found at Greetwell and Knaith. Go forward to the Norman period and be spoilt for choice with the plethora of fine Norman churches across the area. 

Morton & Snarford 

Along the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds can be found the ironstone churches of Caistor, Nettleton, Market Rasen as well as Middle Rasen with its fine Norman Archway. Two of our medieval ‘little gems’ not to be missed are St Oswald’s at Rand, situated on a deserted medieval village and St Edith’s at Coates by Stow with its 11th century rood loft and screen. 

Stow Minster & Coates by Stow

And we also have a fine Queen Anne church at Stainfield, and some wonderful Victorian treasures – including the gothic St Michael & All Angels at Hackthorn. 

And of course, our lovely collection of Methodist chapels including those at Wragby and Laughton are well worth a visit. 


Cherry Willingham

For Georgian splendour look no further than the majestic All Saints at Gainsborough with its magnificent interior including a copy of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper behind the altar.

Spridlington & Faldingworth

Many of our churches are providing refreshments to keep you sustained as you travel around the towns and villages, and some are even putting on lunches to whet your appetite. Turn to page 6-7 for details. 

Not all our churches are manned and maybe these will be your choice? If you simply want to take some time out of a busy lifestyle and relax in a quiet oasis of calm then do visit one of our ‘quiet’ churches, in particular St Vincent at Burton and the simple Quaker Meeting House tucked away in Market Street, Gainsborough.

We invite you to plot your pilgrimage and decide which of our fabulous churches you will visit in 2024. Remember, every church you visit will help preserve this rich heritage. You will be supporting many of our small villages and this support will help ensure that the lovely community spirit that binds these rural Lincolnshire villages together stays forever. Every church really does have a story to tell…

Gainsborough All Saints (top) & Southrey




2 comments:

  1. Paul Simpson - (Scunthorpe)26 April 2017 at 16:25

    Looking forward to visiting as many of the churches as I can again this year. It's a credit to the organisers and the volunteers that this event takes place each May. Thank you to you all for making your places so accessible.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Paul, we love seeing your beautiful photographs too! Angela (on behalf of the Churches Festival).

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