July 2013:
STOW, St Mary's.
St. Mary's church, Stow.
The Early English font with nine supports.
Thursday 4th July 2013 saw the group at Stow, visiting St Mary’s Church. Pevsner writes “of the early parish churches of England, Stow is one of the most monumental”.
Most of our group had, I believe, visited the church before, but probably not with such a capable and interesting guide. He knows the Church well but is also able to put the church in the context of the times through his wide knowledge.
St Mary’s predates Lincoln Cathedral, much of it being Anglo-Saxon. It had been refounded in 1054. Bishop Remigius, Lincoln’s first post conquest bishop refounded it as an abbey in 1091. The church, as it now stands is a superb blend of Anglo-Saxon and Norman architecture.
“The chancel is a prodigious piece of late Norman display” writes Pevsner, who devotes many pages of his “Lincolnshire” volume to Stow. There is virtually no post Norman work and the restoration carried out in the mid 19th century was done with care and sensitivity.
The last time the writer visited Stow was for a string quintet performance, part of the Lincoln Music Festival. The combination of Mozart and the majestic dimensions and atmosphere of St Mary’s was stunning.
Eric Wilson
Most of our group had, I believe, visited the church before, but probably not with such a capable and interesting guide. He knows the Church well but is also able to put the church in the context of the times through his wide knowledge.
St Mary’s predates Lincoln Cathedral, much of it being Anglo-Saxon. It had been refounded in 1054. Bishop Remigius, Lincoln’s first post conquest bishop refounded it as an abbey in 1091. The church, as it now stands is a superb blend of Anglo-Saxon and Norman architecture.
“The chancel is a prodigious piece of late Norman display” writes Pevsner, who devotes many pages of his “Lincolnshire” volume to Stow. There is virtually no post Norman work and the restoration carried out in the mid 19th century was done with care and sensitivity.
The last time the writer visited Stow was for a string quintet performance, part of the Lincoln Music Festival. The combination of Mozart and the majestic dimensions and atmosphere of St Mary’s was stunning.
Eric Wilson
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