November 2015:
THORPE-ON-THE-HILL, St Michael and All Angels.
**Click on photos to enlarge them**
For our November visit we met at St Michael and All Angels, Thorpe on the Hill. It was a dull damp day, but we had a warm welcome from Beth, churchwarden, and Anne, church secretary who provided tea and biscuits for us.
The church is a Grade II listed building, part of the Swinderby benefice which includes Eagle All Saints, North Scarle All Saints, and Swinderby All Saints, in the Graffoe Deanery.
Domesday records that there was a church prior to the Norman Conquest. The current church dates from the 13th century. It was rebuilt in 1722, and apart from the west tower, was completely rebuilt again on new foundations in 1912. When approaching the church, you can tell that the stone in the tower looks much older and is more weathered than that of the nave and chancel. The newer stone is Weldon stone, from a quarry near Corby in Northants. The west front of the tower has a blocked Norman keyhole window and a reset blocked 13th century pointed doorway with a blocked circular window above it.
Dr John Ketteringham, our group founder and author of ‘Lincolnshire Bells and Bellfounders’ told us that there are 6 bells in the church which are rung from the ground floor. The oldest bell dates from 1612, and the two newest are the Millennium Bell, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Bell. Thorpe village signs are based on bell wheels.
Domesday records that there was a church prior to the Norman Conquest. The current church dates from the 13th century. It was rebuilt in 1722, and apart from the west tower, was completely rebuilt again on new foundations in 1912. When approaching the church, you can tell that the stone in the tower looks much older and is more weathered than that of the nave and chancel. The newer stone is Weldon stone, from a quarry near Corby in Northants. The west front of the tower has a blocked Norman keyhole window and a reset blocked 13th century pointed doorway with a blocked circular window above it.
Dr John Ketteringham, our group founder and author of ‘Lincolnshire Bells and Bellfounders’ told us that there are 6 bells in the church which are rung from the ground floor. The oldest bell dates from 1612, and the two newest are the Millennium Bell, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Bell. Thorpe village signs are based on bell wheels.
There is a new oak screen in memory of Bishop Edward King. The interior roof is a most unusual barrel shape. As a result the whole church looks light and airy, and feels welcoming.
The local Methodist church has closed and they now also hold services here. There are photographs in the church of John Hunt, a pioneering Methodist Minister, who lived near Thorpe. He went out to Fiji and translated the Bible into Fijian. He died and was buried there in 1848 at the age of 36.
Thorpe also has a thriving village school built in 1855, and the Railway Inn, formerly a farmhouse, near the railway crossing. There is a pretty cottage-orne style crossing keeper’s cottage next to the railway crossing, dated about 1846.
Services are held every Sunday at present. In the church there is a very informative booklet provided by the Parochial Church Council giving the history of the church and details of some of the characters involved in the building and restoration. We thanked Beth and Anne for their hospitality and went back into the November gloom
The local Methodist church has closed and they now also hold services here. There are photographs in the church of John Hunt, a pioneering Methodist Minister, who lived near Thorpe. He went out to Fiji and translated the Bible into Fijian. He died and was buried there in 1848 at the age of 36.
Thorpe also has a thriving village school built in 1855, and the Railway Inn, formerly a farmhouse, near the railway crossing. There is a pretty cottage-orne style crossing keeper’s cottage next to the railway crossing, dated about 1846.
Services are held every Sunday at present. In the church there is a very informative booklet provided by the Parochial Church Council giving the history of the church and details of some of the characters involved in the building and restoration. We thanked Beth and Anne for their hospitality and went back into the November gloom
Words JM
Photos MK & JM
Photos MK & JM
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