1

THE MINSTER CHURCH

OF ST MARY (STOW MINSTER)

STOW-IN-LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE (DIOCESE OF LINCOLN)

CONSERVATION

MANAGEMENT PLAN

CONSULTATION DRAFT

© Stow PCC / CBC June 2012

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1. Preliminaries

1.1 List of Contents

1. Preliminaries

1.1 List of Contents 2

1.2 Message from the PCC 3

1.3 Executive Summary 4

2. Introduction 5

3. Understanding the place and the community 7

3.1 The Location and Setting of the Church 7

3.2 The church and the community 9

3.3 Description of the building and site 10

3.3.1 The history and archaeology of Stow and the church 14

3.3.2 Description of the church today 19

3.3.3 Description of the exterior 19

3.3.4 The interior of the church 22

3.3.5 Furnishings and fittings 24

4. Assessment of significance 27

4.1 Statutory Designations 27

4.2 A detailed breakdown of what is of significance 27

5. Assessment of potential and constraints 30

5.1 Issues affecting the church 30

5.2 Potential areas of conflict 34

5.3 Impact assessment of any current proposals 35

6. Management policies 36

7. Bibliography and sources 39

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1.2 Message from the PCC

There has been a worshipping Christian community at Stow for at least a thousand

years. The role of this huge and fascinating building has changed many times in its

long history, but the Minster was from the beginning fully integrated into the life of

the community, being primarily a place where God was worshipped daily, but also

somewhere people went for all sorts of non-spiritual needs to be met.

The church is today seeking to fulfil these roles in the context of a rapidly changing

society, recognising the exceptional role of this place in nurturing the Christian faith

in Lincolnshire, England and beyond. Today we aim to see Stow Minster once again

flourishing as a centre for mission and an integral part of the wider community life. It

is still a place where God is worshipped regularly, and visitors often comment on its

atmosphere of peace. Its magnificent beauty is awe-inspiring. We want to maintain

this legacy for future generations.

There is also great potential for the Minster to become an internationally recognised

place of education and learning, retreat and pilgrimage, as well as a rich resource for

local groups and schools, with its connections with such popular historic figures as

Lady Godiva of Coventry.

There can be no doubt that this is one of the major parish churches of England, truly

monumental in scale and appearance. The challenge of maintaining such a large

historic building as a place of worship and community resource is enormous. It was

included in the 100 most endangered sites in the world by the World Monuments

Fund in 2006. This means that the PCC faces a huge challenge in bringing its vision

to fruition. Although an incredible amount has been achieved since then, much more

work is still needed to make the building fit for purpose in the 21st century,

particularly to the interior.

Careful thought and discussion with the community and all who care for this place

will be necessary to face this challenge, and to make the most of the opportunities

which a fresh look at the church building and its place in Stow and the surrounding

area, the Deanery, and Diocese may bring.

This Conservation Management Plan (CMP) is a timely and vital document bringing

together information regarding these actual and potential religious, cultural and social

activities at Stow. The CMP will be used as a means to reappraise and revitalise the

church building and its surroundings, and to serve the needs of all members of the

community who love and use the church, while maintaining its status as first and

foremost a place of worship.

The PCC would like to thank the Church Buildings Council for all their hard work in

helping to produce the CMP.

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1.3 Executive Summary

The church of St Mary is one of the oldest historic parish churches of Lincolnshire,

the site of Christian worship since at least the early 11th

century. The present church

building itself is almost 1000 years old in parts, and is one of the major examples of

Romanesque architecture in the country, with more Anglo-Saxon and Norman

masonry than any other Lincolnshire church. It was considered the ‘finest Norman

church in Lincolnshire’ by the poet and antiquarian Sir John Betjeman, then a member

of the Council for Places of Worship (the forerunner of the Church Buildings

Council).

It is one of the oldest buildings in Lincolnshire still in use for its original purpose, the

others all being also churches. Foremost amongst these of course are the Cathedral in

Lincoln and the church of St Botolph in Boston (the Boston Stump), and Stow

Minster belongs with these buildings in terms of its significance. Its exceptional

architectural, art historical, archaeological, and historic importance is recognised in its

Grade I listing, and the designation of the site as a Scheduled Monument. The church

should however not be seen as an isolated historical monument, but understood within

its wider human and natural environment, and as an asset for the local and wider

community.

The church has frequently proved problematic for the parishioners due to its sheer

size; indeed, in the 19th

century there was a proposal to pull it down. In recent years

the congregation has found it difficult to support the building, and has questioned its

long term sustainability as a parish church in its present form.

With this in mind, this document has been compiled in order to act as a catalyst for

developing the church building as a community and cultural asset as well as a place of

worship and contemplation; as a place to learn about the history of Christianity in

Lincolnshire, and the rich local heritage of this place and area; and as a cultural

centre, a place to enjoy music and art, working together with the cathedral and diocese

to offer a world-class attraction.

The CMP gives the parameters in which this can happen. The task is to develop a

vision and make it into a reality by harnessing energy within the community, with

diocesan and national support. The aim is not only to respect the significance of the

building and site and the values attached to it by the people of Stow and beyond, but

to enhance it, to make it better, to unlock its dormant potential.

This vision will require not only energy, but major initial funding to make it self

sufficient and sustainable, which will only be available if there is co-operation and

understanding between the various stakeholders and everyone who cares about this

place. The CMP is seen as a way to facilitate this.

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2 INTRODUCTION

The Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the church of St Mary was

compiled in 2012 by Dr Joseph Elders, Major Projects Officer of the Church

Buildings Council (CBC) on behalf of the PCC and diocese, at the invitation of the

Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey. The document has been compiled with advice and

input from Keith Halliday, Secretary of the Lincoln Diocesan Advisory Committee

(DAC), Ben Stoker (Open Churches Officer) and Matt Cooper and then Rebecca

Burrows (Support Officer), the CBC and Professor David Stocker, previously of

English Heritage.

It was written to act as a catalyst for improving the accessibility, use, and social and

educational value of the church and site, as a place of Christian worship and mission

and as a community and educational resource. The CMP will be of value to the

Parochial Church, Parish, District and County Councils in providing appropriate and

dynamic policies and direction for day to day management of the site as well as higher

level needs and projects.

It is an important document for evaluating short-, medium- and long-term

programmes of work. These might involve applications for grant-aid from English

Heritage, Lincolnshire County Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the CBC and other

sources. Preparation of a CMP is a prerequisite for (or advantageous towards)

receiving grant aid for most of these.

The CMP follows the guidance published by the CBC in 2007. As this document

stresses, a CMP on a major church is “a useful tool for recognising and reconciling

tensions that may arise between the necessary life of the worshipping community and

the significance of the place, and to help the church and its community to transcend

these in order to develop and grow.”

Conservation management and planning are increasingly understood to be crucial to

the beneficial use and guardianship of important historic structures and sites. CMPs

are designed to describe a place and its community and define its significance. They

then go on to assess the vulnerability of the place. Finally they establish policies to

ensure the long-term protection of the place, and the retention (or if possible

enhancement) of its significance.

The objectives of this CMP are therefore to:

• Understand the church building and site and its use by the community by

drawing together information including documents and physical evidence in order

to present an overall description of the place through time. This includes a brief

description of the church and site today, how it is used and perceived, and

identifies areas for further research.

• Assess its significance both generally and for its principal components, on a local,

national and international level.

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• Define constraints and potential by identifying issues affecting the significance

of the site and building remains, or which could affect them in the future, and how

threats can be mitigated, and potential realised.

• Develop management policies to ensure that the significance of the church and

site is retained in any future management, use or alteration. If possible this

significance should be enhanced through implementation of these policies.

Status of this document:

This Conservation Management Plan essentially summarises what is currently known

about the church and site, and bases its evaluation of significance, vulnerability,

potential and management policies on this summary. Observations have been made

which attempt to interpret what can be seen and what has already been written and

collated in the light of current understanding. Several histories of the church have

been written, notably the recent revision by the Victoria County History on which this

document leans heavily. Copious records also survive in the CBC’s own files.

No original research has been undertaken for the compilation of this document, but

suggestions have been made regarding areas where such work might in future be most

advantageously directed. Key amongst these are the questions regarding the early

development of the church.

The CMP is not a closed document, but should be regularly consulted, checked,

corrected if necessary, and updated. It should have a close relationship to other key

documents, notably the Inventory and the Quinquennial Inspection reports.

The CMP is copyright to the Diocese of Lincoln and the CBC. All rights reserved. No

part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or

manual, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval

system, without written permission. No person or corporation other than the diocese

shall rely on it in any respect, and no duty of care will be owed by the author to any

such third party.

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3 UNDERSTANDING

THE PLACE AND

COMMUNITY

This section seeks to describe the place

and to put it within its environmental,

archaeological, historical, religious and

social context. The information is

summarised within the CMP itself,

more detail is given in the Appendices

and in previously existing material, to

which reference is made.

3.1 The Location and Setting of

the Church

Stow (or Stow-in-Lindsey) is a small

village and civil parish within the West

Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. It is

11 miles north-west of Lincoln and

6 miles south-east of Gainsborough,

and has a total resident population of

355, a very small number for such a

large place of worship.

The setting of the church in the village,

looking north; note repairs in progress

It is a very attractive historic village,

located in a flat landscape of small

fields mostly used for growing wheat,

oil seed rape and vegetables. The

village is on the minor B1241 which is

known as Normanby Road leading

north out of the village, and about a

mile north of the old Roman Road

which continued westwards to a major

crossing of the River Trent where it

continued to the Romano-British

settlement of Littleborough in

Nottinghamshire. Characteristically

straight, the Roman road (now A1500)

joins the A156 to the west, which links

Gainsborough and Lincoln (the latter

via the A57).

There is a whipping post/irons dated

1789 to the south of the church. The

old village consists of brick and stone-

built cottages, a number of the latter

being Grade II listed buildings,

including very fine 17th

-century

cottages and mill buildings. A tributary

of the River Till passes near the village

which fed the latter. The River Till

itself passes north to south near the

east end of the parish. The River Trent

to the west meanders along the line of

the A156, past the old port of Marton

with which Stow was once

economically linked.

An earthwork walkway and

accompanying ditch can be seen

directly to the west of the church in the

grounds of Manor Farm. English

Heritage Pastscape states: “Probable

Post-Medieval L-shaped ornamental

pond, aligned with 17th

-century Old

Hall/ Manor Farm, seen as an

earthwork; previously alleged to be a

Medieval moat.” This is what is shown

as a moat on the EH map reproduced

below.

One mile to the south-west of the

village at Stow Park, lying just to the

south of the Roman road now known

as Marton Road (A1500), are the

remains of the Medieval palace of the

Bishops of Lincoln. To the north and

east of the moated site of the palace lie

the earthwork remains of associated

medieval fishponds. There are also the

remains of a deserted hamlet seen as

earthworks. The site is designated as a

Scheduled Monument.

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The ecclesiastical parish consists of

four villages: Stow, Normanby,

Sturton and Bransby, of which Sturton

is the largest, being a separate (and

larger) village about a mile south of

Stow, with its own church, St Hugh’s,

which is a chapel-of-ease or Mission

Hall to Stow Minster. Some of these

villages were once larger, for example

Normanby, the site of a deserted

Medieval village.

The parish covers about 4,000 acres. In

1974 Stow became part of the newly

created non-metropolitan district of

West Lindsey. In terms of modern

development, a renewable energy

company, Freewatt, has recently built

the county’s largest Solar PV system at

their Danes Farm headquarters, ½ mile

south-west of Stow.

The large and handsome ancient

church (National Grid Reference:

SK88194 81998) stands at the centre

of the historic village, and its tower is

visible in the flat landscape for many

miles, dominating all else and second

only to the cathedral in this part of

Lincolnshire in this respect.

The Cross Keys Country Inn and

Restaurant

The architecturally modest Cross Keys

Inn and Restaurant is directly to the

south, and together these buildings

form the heart of the village.

The churchyard

The church stands towards the south-

west corner of the churchyard, which is

the shape of the top left quarter of a

circle. Church Road (the old main road

through the village) bends around the

outer circumference, and this may

mark the boundary of the original

“Moot Stow”, or great market of the

Bishops. The rest of the circle, or oval

has been obscured by later

development. The churchyard (and the

ground under the church) is designated

a Scheduled Monument, partly because

excavations there have discovered pre-

Conquest burials.

The church seen from the south-east

The churchyard is raised over 1m

above the surrounding roads, defined

by a stone wall, with a simple iron gate

leading via steps to a slightly rising

concrete path to the south door. The

fine west door, scarcely used, opens

almost directly to the road below via a

short flight of stone steps, which are

sinking and uneven in places.

The churchyard has monuments dating

from the late 17th

century, and includes

a number of very fine stone grave

markers and chest tombs, though none

are individually listed. The stone used

is generally the limestone from which

the church is built, but there are some

other sources, particularly amongst

those from the 19th

century. The

churchyard is considered to be full, but

has not been formally closed for burial.

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3.2 The church and the

community

The role of the church in the

community has changed several times

since the construction of the original

church (whenever this was). There is a

suggestion that a wooden Saxon

Church orientated North-South in the

region of the existing Tower Crossing

predated any stone structure. This was

from the beginning a high profile

foundation, closely bound up with the

history of the historic village and

region of Stow and Lindsey and the

development of Christianity and the

Diocese. The date of origin of the first

church building is unclear and the

subject of academic debate, but there

has certainly been a church on the site

for 1000 years.

The church is located at the historic

heart of Stow, and the village and area

could scarcely be imagined without it.

As stated in the State of the Historic

Environment Reports produced by

English Heritage: “The church is

usually the oldest and most important

listed building in a settlement as well

as an icon for community memory and

a focus for social activity.”

This description fits the church of St

Mary well. The church belongs very

much to the people of Stow and the

surrounding area, not just to the regular

worshipping community. This sense of

communal ownership and belonging

has perhaps weakened during the late

20th

century, a fairly typical

development, and could perhaps be

strengthened.

Throughout its existence each

generation has made its mark on it.

Many generations of local folk are

buried there, and the monuments inside

and outside the church are an often

eloquent reminder of hundreds of years

of community life.

There exists the possibility that there

was a Roman and/or sub-Roman

church on or near the site of the

present church, though evidence is

lacking. There are Roman stones re-

used in the church fabric, and Roman

pottery has been found in the village,

but this is not conclusive; a villa is

thought to exist in the village, perhaps

even under the church. The theory that

Stow was the Roman Sidnacaster, an

early seat of the first Anglo-Saxon

bishopric has however fallen out of

favour.

The first church of which we have

specific information was apparently a

Minster. These were not just churches,

but home to a community, with a

mixture of lay folk and priests, acting

as a mother church to others within a

huge parish. There would often be a

number of ecclesiastical and domestic

buildings within a defined precinct.

The Minster at Stow is traditionally

thought to have been the Mother

church of the Cathedral, and even to

have served as a Cathedral itself, but

these theories are now considered

unlikely.

The building probably originally

served the dual function of parish

church as well as a Minster of secular

canons, apart from a brief period

(1091-4) as a Benedictine Abbey (see

below). After this it was given to the

village as its parish church (but was

still the Bishop’s perquisite

appropriated to two of the cathedral’s

prebends), Minsters having fallen out

of favour in the Norman ecclesiastical

system.

The size of the church for this small

community has continued to cause

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problems up to the present day, but is

also a source of local pride, and its

maintenance a remarkable

achievement.

The church community today

Today the church functions as a

Church of England parish church

within a parish with the Grade 2 listed

building of Sturton St Hugh (see

below). It is one of five churches

which form the Stow Group. It is by

far the most significant in terms of

heritage and also the largest of the

churches.

In 2011, the Stow group was joined to

the Saxilby Group itself comprising 3

parishes. Stow is in the Diocese of

Lincoln and the Archdeaconry of Stow

and Lindsey, and in the Deanery of

Corringham. The Archdeacon of Stow

and Lindsey is presently the Venerable

Jane Sinclair.

The freehold is vested in the

incumbent, this is at present vacant.

The PCC is responsible for the fabric

of the building and the curtilage. The

Church Commissioners are the Lay

Rectors of the chancel, and responsible

for repairs within certain parameters; at

the time of writing works to the

chancel roof were being part funded by

them under this liability.

The church is normally open

throughout the day. Welcome leaflets

are available, and a guide book (which

could be revised) is provided in

English. The church welcomes about

3,500 visitors each year but could

achieve considerably more. The

parish has gone to considerable trouble

to illustrate the history of the church,

with information boards in various

places explaining monuments etc,

although these look a little jaded.

There is potential for this aspect to be

improved, and visitor numbers

increased.

In terms of tourism, the Minster is “on

the radar” but perhaps not as much as

it could (and should) be. Lincolnshire

Travel Guides on the web comments;

St Mary's, Stow, is one of the most

ancient parish churches in the country.

It superbly combines examples of

Saxon, Norman, and medieval

architecture under one roof. A 10th

century representation of a Viking

longship is scratched on the chancel

arch. In the north transept is a 13th

century wall painting of St Thomas a

Becket. The font features a Green Man

carving and a dragon or serpent at the

base.

All of these features could be more

clearly and attractively (and more

accurately) presented within the

church, if funding could be found and

an integrated vision developed.

Other churches and places of

worship in the Stow area

The nearest Anglican churches are

within the present group. There are

four churches within the Group:

Sturton-by-Stow St Hugh; Coates by

Stow St Edith; Willingham by Stow St

Helen; and Torksey St Peter.

Sturton St Hugh, seen from the south-

west

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Sturton St Hugh was built in 1879 as a

chapel and mission hall. It was

designed by J L Pearson, and is a

modest but dignified red brick church

in the Early English style with apsed

chancel with groups of cusped lancets,

with good detailing. It can seat up to

120. At present it requires repairs to

the floors and roof. It serves a larger

village than Stow Minster, just ½ mile

south.

Coates by Stow St Edith is a Grade I

Medieval church. There is no village

here, just a farm, plus a few houses and

the church adjacent to a manor house is

in a beautiful and peaceful setting, and

a hidden gem of a church.

It is 12th

-century in origin, with

alterations and additions including a

double belcote, but was only lightly

restored 1883-4 by J L Pearson, at the

same time he was working on Stow

Minster and Sturton St Hugh. It is

constructed of coursed limestone

rubble, limestone ashlar. Plain tiled

roof. The church is small, nave and

chancel, the west end with blocked

13th

-century tower arch. It contains a

15th

century rood screen (the only one

in Lincolnshire), and fine furnishings

and fittings. 2 miles east.

The two other churches in the group

are:

Torksey St Peter: Grade II* Medieval

church. Early 13th

-century, late 13th

-

century, 16th

-century tower, 1821

rebuilding of nave, aisle and chancel. 3

miles south-west.

Willingham-by-Stow St Helen: Grade

II church, Mid 12th

-century, late 17th

-

century, heavily restored in 1880 by

Brodrick and Smith. One and a half

miles north-east.

Other denominations

There is a small Wesleyan Methodist

chapel in the village, a simple neo-

Classical building of 1824. Built of

brick with a pantiled roof. The side

walls were originally of two bays, but

the building was enlarged to the front

and the datestone was reset above the

round-arched entrance. It is now a

domestic residence. There is a

Methodist church in Sturton.

People and place; personalities

associated with the church and Stow

The first named historical figure who

could be associated with the place is St

Etheldreda (c.630-679), who according

to legend rested at a place called Stow

while travelling from Northumberland

to Ely. Her ash staff, planted in the

ground, is said to have miraculously

burst into leaf to provide her with

shelter, whereafter the church of ‘St

Etheldreda’s Stow” (later renamed

Stow St Mary) was built to

commemorate the event. This legend is

illustrated in a Victorian stained glass

window in the chancel. The ‘Stow’

where the saint is said to have rested

may however have been somewhere

else, there are several candidates.

The earliest phase of the present

church was possibly built under Bishop

Eadnoth II (1034-1050), and enriched

and endowed by Leofric, Earl of

Mercia and his better-known wife,

Lady Godiva famed for her legendary

ride through Coventry. In the 1050s,

her name is coupled with that of her

husband on a grant of land. She is

mentioned in the Domesday survey as

one of the few Anglo-Saxons and the

only woman to remain a major

landholder after the Conquest. There is

perhaps scope to make more of this

connection.

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In 1092 the first Cathedral at Lincoln

built by Bishop Remigius was

consecrated. A Benedictine monk, he

was the first Norman Bishop of the

largest diocese in medieval England,

extending from the Humber to the

Thames. The cathedral of this diocese

had been at Dorchester, near Oxford,

but in 1072 William I instructed that

the Bishopric should be moved to

Lincoln. Remigius brought monks

from Evesham to establish a

Benedictine house at Stow in 1091, but

this experiment did not survive him,

and the monks left in 1094. However,

the reconstruction of the transepts has

been dated to this period.

The renowned architect John

Loughborough Pearson was charged

with the restoration of the church in the

middle of the 19th

century. He also

worked at Coates-by-Stow (see above),

designed Sturton St Hugh and further

afield designed Truro cathedral in

Cornwall, as well as building or

restoring many other churches.

He received the commission from the

incumbent, the Revd George Atkinson,

who raised money for the restoration

and devoted his own fortune to its

restoration, dying just before the

completion of the works. Posterity has

the energy of this man to thank that the

church survived at all. He is

commemorated within the church.

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3.3 Description of the buildings and site

This section gives a brief summary of the history of the church. It proceeds to

describe the church and churchyard as they are at the time of writing, attempting to be

as comprehensive as possible without going into great detail.

Map of Stow, from English Heritage list description, church at the centre

Licence number 102006.006.

Plan of the church (by J L Pearson 1878), from Church Plans Online with permission

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3.3.1 The history and

archaeology of Stow and the

church

Summary: The following is based

mainly on the parish web site and the

National Monuments Record. It is

meant as background information only.

It should be noted that the date of the

first church on the site, and the

development of the present building in

the (?)10th

, 11th

and 12th

century is a

matter of academic contention and

many details are as yet unclear.

Prehistoric

There are a number of scattered

findspots of Stone Age flints along the

rivers, and Bronze Age tools are

known in the area, though none in the

immediate vicinity of the site, but stray

finds from all these periods are

possible.

Roman

Roman coins and other settlement

material have been found in the parish

and village, of the 2nd

century and

later, including pottery from the

churchyard. Pastscape comments;

“Roman coins and possible "building

debris" (not described) are reported to

have been found at Stow. The site has

been included by Scott in her gazetteer

of Roman villas, although clearly the

presence of a villa is, on present

evidence, purely conjectural.” Some

form of Roman settlement in and/or

around Stow is however attested, and

the churchyard has high archaeological

potential for this period, possibly even

for the site of the villa itself given the

presence of Roman material in the

fabric of the church.

Anglo-Saxon

As noted already this place is

traditionally claimed to be the site of

the Roman Sidnacaster, which became

the seat of the early Saxon Bishopric of

Lindsey (Syddensis). However, it is

now considered that this attribution is

unfounded.

A Romano-British cell or chapel here

cannot be ruled out, although there is

no firm evidence. The same is true of a

Post-Roman church. A Saxon Minster

might have existed at Stow from the

late 7th

or 8th

century, a supposition

based mainly on the dating of many

other important Minsters, and the

presence of an earlier settlement under

the Late Saxon church and graveyard

here. Again, however, there is no firm

evidence.

Excavations in 1983 revealed what

might have been an earlier porticus (or

possibly a demolished part of the

present building) east of the north

transept, and a nave which was shorter

than it is at present and possibly aisled.

The possible porticus cut earlier

inhumations, confirming that the

graveyard was used as such before this

was built. It is possible that the first

church, and the associated graveyard,

may date to the mid 10th

century, a

period when the Kings of Wessex were

asserting their power in the region

(Stocker & Everson).

Florence of Worcester states that the

church was built or rebuilt by Bishop

Eadnoth, in office from 1034-1050

AD. This is now thought to be the most

likely date for the earliest phase of the

present building.

The Minster was endowed in 1054 by

Leofric and Godiva, encouraged by

Bishop Wulfwig, as a Minster of

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Secular Canons with the Bishop at its

head. A charter of 1054 survives

describing what they did, and how they

furnished the church with priests who

were to sing the services in the way in

which they were sung in St Paul's

cathedral. The endowment included

Newark and Fledborough in

Nottinghamshire and nearby Brampton

and Marton, as well as the manor of

Stow and the taxes of surrounding

districts.

The earliest fabric in the church is in

the base of the tower, transepts and its

crossing arches, as noted above

probably dating from the Bishopric of

Eadnoth (1034-1050). The main phases

in the current fabric are therefore

considered to be c1050, c1090, c1150,

c1170, 13th

-century, early 15th

-century,

late 17th

century, and mid 19th

century.

Reconstruction of the development of

the church – source parish web site.

The two earliest phases are now

considered to be c1050 and c1090.

Norman

Stow and the church of St Mary was

recorded in Domesday in 1066.

After Remigius had moved his

cathedral to Lincoln, he decided to

make Stow into a Benedictine

monastery by transferring monks from

Eynsham Abbey near Oxford. This

was done the year before he died in

1091, but his successor quickly moved

them back again in 1094-5, and Stow

became a parish church which it has

remained ever since.

The arches of the crossing and the two

transepts survive from the structure

built about the time of the foundation

of the minster of secular canons. The

nave was lengthened and rebuilt,

together with the chancel, in the late

12th

century.

In 1156, most of Stow was

traditionally said to have been

destroyed by fire. This may have been

an attempt to explain the rebuilding of

the Minster about this time, and the

fire damage on the lower, 11th

-century

walls, and also debris including molten

lead, which has been discovered under

the floors.

Above the plinth of the south jamb of

the north face of the east crossing arch

is a graffito of a ship, often described

as the earliest representation of a

Viking ship in England. It is thought to

be post-1050 (the earliest fabric

phase). A second graffito of a ship can

be seen above the plinth of the west

face of the south crossing pier, 2m

above the floor, also post-1050.

The “Viking” ship graffito

16

Medieval

The manor of Stow belonged to the

Bishops of Dorchester and Lincoln

from the time of Edward the confessor

until 1547. They had a market here,

known as the Moot stow. Stow Park is

identifiable as the site of the Bishops’

palace from the 13th

century and the

site may go back earlier, possibly to

before the Conquest, being first

referred to in documentary sources in

the late 12th

century.

13th

-century additions include the

Early English windows in the

transepts, but there were no major

structural changes in this period. The

fine font was installed.

In the 15th

century a new tower was

built, and the roofs were lowered, the

chancel’s stone vault being removed.

There was a port on the River Trent at

Marton 4 miles west, and much of the

trade coming in here went through

Stow. Following the decline of this

port towards the end of this period,

Stow declined economically and

shrank as a settlement, becoming a

peaceful backwater as it is today.

Post-Reformation

In the mid-16th

century following the

Reformation Bishop Holbeach

transferred the manor into private

hands, and it became a deer park. By

the late 18th

century the buildings were

in ruins after the removal of building

materials from the site, and a new

farmhouse and outbuildings, called

Moat Farm, were built.

After the Reformation the church

continued to be used as a parish

church. The nave roof was repaired in

1685 and the tower rebuilt. The 18th

century saw reordering and

refurnishing of the interior with box

pews, although some of the Medieval

benches were retained. The crossing

was again the most important part of

the church, the chancel used only for

the comparatively infrequent

celebrations of Holy Communion.

In the crossing, spilling out a little into

the transepts and nave, were the

Medieval pews with their backs made

higher by the addition of panelling.

The Jacobean pulpit, with a canopy

over it, was against the north-east pier,

and the reading desk, unusually for the

period, was placed diagonally

opposite, by the south-west pier.

Overhead, quite low down, was the

roof of the ringing gallery, traces of

which can be seen halfway up the

piers. The western arch was partially

blocked by the Singing Gallery for the

choir, which occupied the extreme east

end of the nave. As the remains of the

screens still existed, this part of the

church was very cluttered.

All this was swept away at the

restoration by Pearson and Atkinson,

and for the first time the church was

arranged as a single open space (see

below).

19th

century

By the middle of the 19th

century the

condition of the church was poor, and

it was even suggested that it should be

demolished and a ‘convenient parish

church’ built in its place. Instead of

this, the incumbent the Revd. George

Atkinson, raised money for the

restoration, bringing in the renowned

architect John Loughborough Pearson.

The chancel was restored in 1850-2

with new east windows and entablature

and an extraordinary new stone vault

by Pearson. Remains of the old vault

17

were discovered during the works to

the chancel and incorporated. George

Atkinson wrote;

"On removing the plaster from the wall

above the vaulting piers ... the curves

of vaulting could be distinctly traced ...

On taking out portions (of the wall) it

was found that the ashlar-like stones

were no other than arch stones of the

old groining, with their mouldings

turned inwards towards the wall ... We

found not less than 40 so perfect that

they have been placed in the restored

vaulting."

Front page of the appeal for the

restoration, perspective created by

BODLEY, George Frederick: b. 1827 -

d. 1907 of London. From Church

Plans online.

The remainder was restored 1864-78,

with added vestries in the angle of

nave and north transept and reordering

also by Pearson. The stair turret

previously at the north-east corner was

rebuilt by Pearson in the external angle

of nave and north transept. He also

restored the roofs to their original

pitch.

Copies of the Medieval pews were

made and arranged in the eastern bays

of the nave, there were also pews

facing towards the crossing in the

transepts. A pulpit was located against

the south respond of the chancel arch,

on a stone base which is still there,

although the pulpit has since been

moved (see below).

The ICBS records (taken from Church

Plans Online) state:

STOW BY GAINSBOROUGH, St.

Mary the Virgin (1864-1878).

For new vestries, with reseating and

general restoration. File includes

illustrated printed circular and printed

notices for Institution of incumbent,

1877, and Choral Festival, 1878.

Minutes: Volume 18 pages 65,267,278,

Volume 22 pages 6,32,49,141,2

20th

century

There were restorations again in 1927,

when the pulpit was relocated. A

further move in 1984 re-positioned the

pulpit as part of the pew ensemble on

the south side of the nave.

There were further works in 1963.

Again, the ICBS has the following

records, and there are faculties and

details in the CBC file on the church.

STOW BY GAINSBOROUGH, St.

Mary the Virgin (1927-1934)

Lincolnshire ICBS 11867 Folios ff.1-

38. Grant Reason: Repairs Outcome:

Approved Professionals

CAROE, William Douglas: b. 1857 -

d. 1938 of London. PASSMORE,

Herbert: b. 1868 - d. 1966 of London

Firms CAROE & PASSMORE

(Architects) .Notes: For repairs to roof

and walls. File includes printed

circular and copy of LINCOLN

DIOCESAN MAGAZINE, April 1931,

with article on church. Stow by

18

Gainsborough also known as Stow in

Lindsey. Minutes: Volume 34 pages

27,101, Volume 35 page 351

No plan exists in the archive

STOW BY GAINSBOROUGH, St.

Mary the Virgin (1963-1964)

Parish of STOW BY

GAINSBOROUGH, Lincoln diocese

ICBS 11867 Folios ff.39-49

Grant Reason: Repairs Outcome:

Approved. Professionals BOND,

Lawrence Henry: b. 1909 - d. 1993 of

Grantham (Architect). For roof

repairs.

From the above one can note that some

of the most celebrated architects of the

19th

and 20th

centuries have worked on

this fine church.

There were further major repair works.

In 2008/2009 with the help of James

Robertson Challenge Fund of the

WMF, English Heritage, National

Churches Trust and WREN the north

and south transept roofs were repaired

and re-leaded. The chancel roof has

just been repaired in 2011/2012 with

funds provided by the Lay Rectors, the

Church Commissioners and English

Heritage.

Timeline: Summary of the salient

dates in the development of the church.

c 100 Some form of Roman settlement

- possibly a villa – at Stow.

c 300 A Christian community and

church? No firm evidence.

c 420 Roman troops leave Britain –

could a church have continued in use?

No proof.

c 900 Saxon settlement in Stow

suggested by finds from the

churchyard

c 950 Earliest church and burials.

c1050: Building on the present plan

has been built and is a Minster.

1066-88: Norman Conquest, Stow St

Mary in the hands of the Bishop at the

time of the Domesday survey. Value in

1066 £32, in 1086 £30. Households:

20 villagers. 3 freemen. 1 priest. 4

ploughlands.

1091-94: Declining Minster briefly re-

founded and rebuilt(?) as Benedictine

Abbey by Bishop Remigius, then

becomes parish church.

Mid 12th

century: nave and chancel

rebuilt.

13th

century: New font and windows.

15th

century: Restoration, and tower

rebuilt.

1536-40: Reformation, destruction of

wall paintings, glass etc.

1685: Tower repaired, restoration and

changes to interior – preaching box.

18th

century: Reordering and

refurnishing of interior with box pews

and galleries.

1848-78: Alterations and restoration by

J L Pearson.

1927: Repairs and changes to interior.

1963-4: Repairs.

1983 Repairs. Excavations on north

side find porticus of earlier church

2008-9: Repairs of north and south

transept roofs with WMF and EH

money.

19

2011-12: Repairs of chancel roof with

Church Commissioners funds and

English Heritage grant.

3.3.2 Description of the church

today

Ground plan: 3-bay nave,

north and south transepts, crossing

tower, rectangular 3-bay chancel,

north-west vestry, north stair turret.

Dimensions: Nave and crossing 22m

(75ft) long, 16m (55ft) wide, chancel

16m x 8m, transepts 6m x 5m (east-

west).

Building materials: Uncoursed and

coursed limestone rubble, limestone

ashlar, lead roofs with stone coped

gables and cross finials of various

designs. Some slate.

3.3.3 Description of the exterior

There can be no doubt that this is one

of the major parish churches of

England. It is arguably the most

famous ancient parish church in

Lincolnshire, although not the largest –

this is Boston St Botolph (Boston

Stump). However, the church

preserves more original Anglo-Saxon

and Norman masonry than any other

church, and this is a rare survival

anywhere. The sheer scale cannot fail

to impress.

The nave

Beginning the description at the west

end, the nave west front has a

chamfered plinth and flanking pilaster

buttresses.

Steps lead up from the road below to

the partially restored and very fine

12th

-century doorway, of four orders

with inner rectangular jambs and three

shafts on each side, the central shafts

with chevron decoration.

The arch rests on scalloped cushion

capitals with geometric decoration

above and abaci. Round head with two

chevroned inner orders, a roll moulded

order and chevroned outer order. Plank

doors.

The west door

To the north (left) of this is an early

15th

-century pointed niche with

cusping. Two pointed 19th

-century

lights above set in 19th

-century rubble

filling a large 14th

-century opening.

Above this is a 12th

-century flat string

course, with an oculus in the gable.

The nave seen from the south-west,

both doors visible

20

The south side of the nave has three

pilaster buttresses, that to the east

masking the join with the south

transept. The path from the road to the

south, the main entrance to the church,

leads to a large mid-12th

-century

doorway to the west bay of the south

wall. This was also partially restored in

the 19th

century.

The south door and path

It has four orders with inner

rectangular jambs with moulded

profile, and three shafts on each side,

the two outer shafts on each side with

chevron decoration. Scalloped cushion

capitals with geometric patterning

above, and scored abaci. Round head

with five orders, the two inner orders

with chevroned decoration, third order

roll moulded, fourth order with

complex chevron and outer order with

double billet. Plank doors. A string

course runs above the doorway with

scallop decoration.

There is an 11th

-century(?) stone coffin

set against the wall to the east of the

door, a rare survival. Above, three

round-headed windows with pilaster

buttresses between marking the bays.

String course continues and runs over

the corner pilaster buttress.

North side of nave with plinth and flat

string course running over corner

pilaster buttress. Above the 20th

-

century lean-to vestry (see below) is a

12th

-century round headed window.

East of this is a stair turret, removed in

the 19th

century from its original

position against the north-west jamb of

the interior crossing arch. It has a 19th

-

century string course, quoins and

pyramidal slate roof, and four Anglo

Saxon round and round headed lights

re-set on its north and west sides.

Vestry

20th

-century lean-to vestry below string

course to east, with two re-set windows

to east, one with pointed, the other a

round head, and coal-hole door below.

North side of vestry with double

glazed doors with three lights to east

with pointed heads.

The vestry in the angle of north

transept and nave

North transept

The lower levels of c1034-50, and

upper levels of 1090. Stepped

plinth. West side of north transept with

tall, pointed mid 13th

-century window

of two pointed lights with quatrefoil

above and hood mould.

Slab quoins.

North wall with narrow window with

massive through stone jambs and

rectangular head. 12th

-century oculus

above. Coped gable with 19th

-century

cross finial with interlace decoration.

East wall with tall, pointed mid 13th

-

century window of two pointed lights

with quatrefoil above and hood mould.

21

The chancel

In the corner of the chancel and north

transept projects the corner of the 11th

-

century chancel bonded into the

transept wall, with slab quoins. There

is a clear masonry break with the north

wall of the later 12th

-century chancel

from the 11th

-century work. Stepped

plinth runs round chancel. Four pilaster

buttresses alternate with two tiers of

three windows, these restored in the

19th

-century. Three lower windows

with round heads niche bands and

nook shafts. Three upper, smaller

round headed windows. Corbelled

eaves and parapet above.

East end of chancel with flanking

pilaster buttresses. Wall and windows

in between reconstructed in 19th

century, with central pilaster running

up to just below gable. Single round

headed window on each side with

chevroned heads, nook shafts and

cushion capitals. Single smaller round

headed windows flank pilaster above.

Single oculi with cable decoration

flank the pilaster in the gable.

South side of chancel with 4 pilaster

buttresses alternating with two tiers of

three windows restored in the 19th

century. Three lower windows with

round chevroned heads and nook

shafts. Three upper, small round

headed windows. Corbelled eaves and

parapet above.

In the corner of the chancel and

transept projects the corner of the 11th

-

century (Pre-Conquest) chancel with

slab quoins and bonded into transept

wall, and with clean masonry break

from the 12th

-century chancel.

South Transept

Lower levels of south transept

possibly of c1034-49, and upper levels

of cl090. Stepped plinth with square

and chamfered profiles. Slab quoins on

south-east and south-west corners. East

side with small round headed opening

with hood mould. Mid 13th

-century

window to south, of two lights with

quatrefoil and hood mould. South side

with narrow round headed light of

cl090 with hood mould with Jews' harp

decoration. Tall early 13th

-century

window to west of 2 pointed lights

with plate traceried quatrefoil and hood

mould. 12th

-century oculus above.

West wall of transept with single small

narrow 12th

-century window with

round head and hood mould with small

monster head label stops.

The south transept. Note the changes

in colour, stonework, and the quoins,

and irregular fenestration

The tower

Early 15th

-century crossing tower on

11th

-century foundations. Single

narrow rectangular lights flank steep

pitched roofs rising against tower. 11th

-

century round light re-set in

this position on north side. String

22

course with bell openings on

all 4 sides above. Each bell opening

with pointed head with 3 pointed

Lights and vertical tracery above.

Moulded eaves above with corner

gargoyles and gargoyles in centre of

each face. Battlements above with

ornate corner pinnacles and standing

figures of Four Evangelists in centre of

each face.

3.3.4 The Interior of the

church:

The interior is thickly plastered and

whitewashed, but with architectural

details such as arches and window

frames left as exposed stonework.

There is a problem with historic and

recent damp ingress which has

discoloured and damaged the plaster in

many places, and some of the high

level stonework is green with mould.

Unless the weather is very warm, the

visitor will also be struck by how cold

and damp the place feels.

The sense of grandeur and simplicity is

arguably even more powerful than

from the outside. Looking up the nave

has a fine tie-beam roof inscribed

1685, partly restored in the late 19th

century and thereafter. The floor of the

nave is of plain red quarry tiles,

uneven and cracked in places and

showing signs of damp and salt

penetration. There are steps down to

the crossing, from which there are

steps down into the transepts and a step

up to the chancel.

There are attractive brass and wood

chandeliers and electric lighting,

although lighting levels could be

looked at in terms of both safety and

aesthetics.

There are six rows of benches on each

side of a central alley in the east bay,

the bench ends with cusped tracery and

flower heads. Those on the north side

are 14th

-century, those to the south

copies, and here the pulpit has been

built into the easternmost block. This

was done in 1984, though a brass

plaque records an earlier move of the

pulpit in 1927. This arrangement looks

rather odd today, and the pulpit is

rarely used.

The Medieval bench-ends in the nave

In the north wall there is a pointed

doorway with plank doors and 17th

-

century lintel above, now leading into

the early 20th

-century vestry with

modern toilet facilities. Small pointed

recess to the east of the doorway.

Looking east, the large crossing is 35

metres square, the masonry up to

impost level is of c1034-49. The heads

of the crossing arches and above of is

masonry of c1090. There are signs of

fire damage on the earlier masonry.

The piers stand on massive plinths of

one square and four chamfered stages.

Each jamb is decorated with single

pilaster strip and half shafts with crude

bases. Outer arches of crossing with

round moulded heads, the outer order

of western arch with Jews’ harp

decoration. Inner face of crossing with

12th

-century pointed, moulded arches

supported on 12th

-century massive

polygonal piers on tall, chamfered

stepped plinths inserted into the 11th

-

century corners of the crossing.

23

Low down on the south crossing pier, a

rough scratching of an oared sailing

ship can just be distinguished.

Previously considered to be the earliest

known representation of a Viking ship

in England, it probably dates from the

late tenth or early eleventh century,

according to Prof Stocker.

North transept with narrow west

doorway of c 1034-49, leading

into the vestry described above, with

non-radial voussoirs, chamfered

imposts and long and short quoins

running through thickness of wall. To

the north of the west window of the

north transept is the remnant of an

11th

-century window jamb with

exposed quoining.

The east wall of the transept has an

ornate niche heavily restored in 19th

century, containing remnants of very

rare early13th

-century wall painting of

the murder of Thomas Becket exposed

at that time, and since badly degraded.

This is another of the glories of the

church even in its present state, and

could be made much more of.

The Becket painting in the north

transept

To the east of the north transept arch is

a rectangular opening at waist height

with steps originally leading to the pre-

Reformation rood loft across the

chancel arch, now blocked. Two corbel

heads of musicians in north transept,

and two smaller plain corbels. Stone

paved floor with various 18th

-century

ledgers.

The south transept interior

South transept has three Medieval

corbel heads re-set high in the wall,

two wearing hats. Stone paved floor

with various 18th

-century ledgers.

Victorian benches, loose but usually

ordered collegiate style, this rarely

used.

Chancel of c1170, heavily restored

in the 19th

century.

The chancel looking east

Quadripartite rib-vaults of three bays

with chevroned ribs and ball flower

decoration, by Pearson using some

original material. Vaults supported on

corbel heads to west and tripartite

responds to east with scalloped or

beaded cushion capitals, decorated

bases and abaci running into string

course on wall. This vault by Pearson

is one of the glories of the church; it is

possible to get up into the roof space

and see it from above.

24

One of the other glories of the church

is the richly carved wall arcade which

runs round north, east and south walls

with plain shafts (these mostly

replaced in 19th

century), round heads

with rich chevron and ball flower

decoration and cushion capitals with

various decorations.

The chancel arcading

The windows above have surrounds

decorated with chevron and key

pattern. The east end was rebuilt in

19th

century with scalloped string

course above the wall arcade and

another above lower windows which

continues over north and south

walls. Upper windows plain except for

south window with nook shafts and

roll moulded head.

The chancel has good quality choir

stalls lining the walls with black lamp

shades to the choir lights. This looks

rather tired, and the fabric covered

chairs in front of the stalls are

generally shrouded in plastic sheeting.

A new look at this arrangement with a

view to enhancing the appearance and

use of the chancel might bear

dividends. Tiled floors.

Furnishings and fittings: all c

1880 unless otherwise noted.

The architectural features (those things

which are fixed) are described first,

followed by brief descriptions of the

moveable furnishings and fittings.

Altar: Altar tables of oak in the

chancel and transepts, 19th

-century.

Reredos: None except the Norman

arcading in the wall behind.

Pulpit: 17th

-century polygonal pulpit

with decorative panels, restored in

1877 and moved to present position in

1984. An odd arrangement. Other woodwork: Two 16

th-century

chests in nave. Ornate 16th

-century

chest in north transept. Highly ornate

17th

-century chair with arms and back

decorated with daisy heads and

swirling leaves. Two wooden statues

of St Mary the Virgin and St John in

the north transept from rood screen (?).

Lectern: The brass lectern was a

memorial to the Revd George

Atkinson, by Hardman of Birmingham.

The font, looking west

Font: An octagonal stone late 13th

-

century font, each side with single

motif; a green man; serpent; Star of

David and flower heads. Bowl

supported on cluster of shafts with

foliate capitals and face and foliate

motif in north-east and south-east

corners, and long tailed

dragon stretching between north-west

and south-west corners. A very fine

piece, now standing on a simple

25

Victorian plinth block of re-used

masonry.

There are also fragments of a 12th

-

century font with blind arcading.

Stained glass: Chancel east window

contains Victorian stained glass of

1880-1, depicting the Annunciation

(upper left), Christ the King (upper

right) and (lower windows) six

roundels illustrating the Creed, from

'Born of the Virgin Mary' to 'Ascended

into Heaven'.

High up in the walls to the north and

south are small windows with

Victorian glass depicting St Etheldreda

and St Hugh with his pet swan. The

glass is not of high significance

technically or artistically.

Monuments: A fine collection, only

the most important are listed here.

Four fragments of mid-10th

to early

11th

-century grave covers have been

found in the church during restoration,

although only one now remains. It is

displayed in a cabinet in the foyer

beyond the north door of the nave and

is a Lindsey type. A fragment of

another is built into the nave north wall

exterior.

Monument on south wall of nave to

Thomas Holbeach, died 1591, of stone

with coat of arms and scrolls.

14th

-century fragmentary tombstone

inscribed with ornate cross and other

ornate fragments.

Coffin lids in chancel floor, probably

13th

-century, both with faces and hands

clasped in prayer viewed through

round openings. That on the south side

has an inscription in English which

probably reads "Alle men that ben in

lyf prai for Emme was Fuk wyf"

(Fulk's wife).

On the north pier of the chancel arch is

a brass memorial to Richard Burgh of

Stow Hall (died1616). It also

commemorates his son, Sir John, 'a

noble and valyeant souldyer' killed

while serving as Colonel-General of

Charles I’s expeditionary force to the

Isle of Rhe in 1627.

Bells: In the tower is a ring of eight

bells, as follows, a fine ring, the two

oldest listed for preservation by the

CBC.

1998 J Taylor & Co

1998 J Taylor & Co

1888 J Taylor & Co

1770 Henry Harrison, Barrow

1888 J Taylor & Co

1888 J Taylor & Co

c1550 Henry I Oldfield

1762

Walker & Co,

Rotherham

The oldest bell dates from circa 1550.

The tenor bell dates from 1762 and is

the last known ringable example of the

bellfounders, Walker & Co of

Rotherham. The 1998 treble bell was

purchased, in part, with funds donated

by the Red Arrows Trust and has the

logo of the Red Arrows Aerobatic

Team imprinted on it.

There is also a clock bell by J Taylor &

Co, 1932, transferred from the

redundant church of St Luke

Pontnewyndd, South Wales and

donated by John Underwood in 1998.

It is hung dead and can also be used as

a sanctus bell. The letter ‘G’ in the

word ‘Ground’ in the inscription on the

tenor bell is reversed.

The six bells oldest bells were re-hung

in the present composite frame by

Taylor’s of Loughborough in 1888 and

in 1978 they were re-hung on ball

26

bearings. A steel extension was added

in 1998 by Hayward Mills Associates

when the two trebles were added. All

eight bells are hung from cast-iron

headstocks on ball bearings and the

canons have been removed from the

original six bells.

The Archbishop of York gave two

‘great bells’ to this church in the

eleventh century. In 1556 the

churchwardens reported that ‘the

handbelles which belonged to the

church in Queen Mary’s time had been

broken in peces and sold to a tinker

ano 1562’.

Stow people clearly thought their bells

far superior to those of their

neighbours, whence the old rhyme:

Marton s Cracked Pancheons

And Torksey Egg Shells

Saxilby Ding-Dongs

And Stow Mary Bells

Sundial: Parts of a sundial of circa

1090 were found in a pile of rubble

outside the church in 1971, and is in

private ownership. There is the

potential that these sundial pieces

could be returned to Stow Minster for

display.

Organ: Brindley and Foster of

Sheffield built the organ in 1873. A

fine instrument. GREAT Open

Diapason, Lieblich Gedact, Dulciana,

Octave, Mixture III; SWELL Violin

Diapason,Viola, Flute, Celeste,

Octave, Trumpet; PEDAL Bourdan. 32

Couplers. The swell Viola and Celeste

have been replaced by a Blockflote and

Larigot and a pedal Bass Flute added.

Communion plate: Not inspected.

Registers: From 1561. Held in

Lincolnshire Record Office.

Communion rails: Oak rails,

Victorian.

War memorials: Oak board in

memory of the fallen in World War I

and II.

Miscellanea: Photographs of church,

late 19th

- and early 20th

-century,

watercolours and postcards, and other

photographs and drawings, in the

church.

The condition of the fabric and

churchyard

Based on the latest Quinquennial

Inspection Report by Glew & Smith of

Lincoln. The church fabric is

generally in reasonably sound

condition following a campaign of

high-level repairs, but with a number

of issues which need attending. The

chancel roof was being repaired with a

grant from the Church Commissioners

and English Heritage at the time of

writing.

A programme of environmental

monitoring has been instigated

following a report by Tobeit Curtis in

April 2009. There are signs of damp

throughout the interior affecting the

stonework, plaster, and the

congregation and visitors, making the

church too damp and cold to use for

much of the year. Major investment

will be required to solve these

problems.

In terms of security and safety, the

church is kept open during the day. No

valuables are kept on location except

under lock and key.

27

4 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Major Early Medieval churches and churchyards such as Stow Minster are rare, and

of enormous interest and research potential, not only for the historian, archaeologist,

and architectural historian and art historian but for everybody interested in local and

national history, rich in material resources for understanding the past.

A church has stood here as a beacon of continuous Christian mission for more than a

thousand years, placing worship at the very centre of local life. Churches are by no

means static or frozen in time, indeed the fact that they have been subject to constant

change throughout their history makes them all the more important and fascinating.

In order to manage this change responsibly, it is necessary to define the relative

significance of every aspect of the church and churchyard within its local, regional

and national context. This relative significance is articulated thus, following Kerr

(1994) and the CBC guidance (2007).

• Exceptional – important at national to international levels.

• Considerable – important at regional level or sometimes higher.

• Some - usually of local value but possibly of regional significance for group or

other value (eg a vernacular architectural feature).

• Local - of local value

• Negative or intrusive features, ie those which actually detract from the value of a

site, for example a concrete boiler house adjacent to a medieval church.

4.1 Statutory Designations:

The church building with its fixed contents is of exceptional significance as a major

medieval church with a complex architectural, archaeological and art historical

development and history, recognised in its Grade I listing. Date listed: 16th

December

1964.

The churchyard (and the ground under the church) is designated a Scheduled

Monument because of its archaeological significance, and is of exceptional

significance in this regard. No building ground works are permitted within the

curtilage of the village of Stow without an archaeological watching brief being in

place.

There are no Tree Preservation Orders applying to trees within the churchyard

There are presently no other statutory designations beyond those given above.

4.2 A detailed breakdown of what is of significance:

One of the great parish churches of England, and arguably the most important Early

Medieval church in Lincolnshire, of exceptional architectural significance and

landscape value, and of exceptional historical and archaeological significance. The

28

site is of potentially exceptional significance, especially seen in the context of the

earlier church buildings and associated burials.

Social, religious, community

The church is of exceptional significance as a focus and centre for mission and

worship for the congregation, parish, Diocese, and for the Church of England. It is the

major physical manifestation of the durability of the Christian faith in this place.

The church is of exceptional significance as a symbol of civic identity and pride in

the history and cultural continuity of Stow, being together with the other churches one

of the largest and oldest buildings still used by the community (and for the original

purposes).

The church and churchyard are of exceptional significance as a landmark visual

feature in the village of Stow.

Stow Minster is a tourist attraction in its own right, with the church contributing

greatly to the attractiveness of the village and area. It is therefore of considerable,

potentially exceptional significance as an attraction for the tourist industry and

economy of Stow and Lincolnshire and wider region.

The significance of the church for our understanding of medieval liturgy

The architecture and arrangement of any church are dictated primarily by the

liturgical rites which take place within and around it. The form of the church building

is therefore of exceptional significance for our understanding of the evolution of a

medieval church in terms of its liturgy. The basic cruciform plan form is of

exceptional significance for how early Minsters worked. More research into these

issues could add considerably to our understanding.

The significance of the church for our understanding of Post-Reformation

liturgy

The evidence for this exists only in the form of illustrations of the interior dating to

the 18th

and early 19th

centuries, and accompanying descriptions, which is of some

significance for our understanding of the liturgy of this period.

The significance of the liturgical developments of the 19th

and 20th

centuries

The remnants of the Victorian scheme is in itself of local significance as an example

of the liturgical fashion of the late 19th

century, and of the work of J L Pearson.

Musical significance

The organ is of considerable significance as a fine modern instrument with excellent

tonal qualities, which exploits superb acoustics within the church.

The bells are a fine ring of eight of considerable significance, part of a long tradition

of bell-ringing here and considered one of the better rings in Lincolnshire.

29

The considerable significance of music to the parish and its worship is illustrated by

the fact that the church is a favoured concert venue for community choral events, for

major and small instrumental performances and during festivals, and it is intended to

increase this use in conjunction with other institutions (the cathedral?) and events.

Ecological significance

The church in its surroundings is of some ecological significance, with mature grass

and lichens.

Archaeological significance

The church building itself is of exceptional archaeological significance. Despite the

many changes including window and fabric replacements, much original and

cumulative fabric remains.

The site is of exceptional potential for the archaeology and history of the Early

Medieval period, reflected in its designation as a Scheduled Monument, and reference

should be made to the Historic Environment Record and contact made with the

County Archaeologist and English Heritage if any development of the site or building

is being considered.

There is also potential for the existence of Sub-Roman (including possibly a church

and cemetery), Roman or prehistoric remains. The potential for such remains would

raise the significance, already defined as exceptional, still further if confirmed.

The site is of exceptional archaeological significance as a burial ground used for at

least 1000 years, regarding its potential for the study of human remains and burial

practice over this long period.

Historical significance

The evidence represented by the church and site is therefore of exceptional

significance for the development of Christianity in Lincolnshire and England as an

early Minster, Cathedral, Priory and parish church.

Within the church the intramural monuments are of considerable historical

significance in themselves for the understanding and research of local and social

history, recording the clergy, dignitaries, families and beneficiaries of the church and

village. The War Memorials are of local significance.

Art Historical significance

The Medieval and 17th

-century monuments are of exceptional art historical

significance. The Victorian and later furnishings and fittings are of local significance.

The chair and chests are of considerable significance.

30

The font is of considerable significance as example of late 13th

-century carving. The

remnants of the earlier font are also of considerable significance.

The Medieval monuments, including the carved slabs, are of exceptional significance.

Generally, the 18th

-20th

century wall monuments and ledger slabs are of some or

considerable art historical significance for the development of funerary art and

lettering during this period.

The 17th

- and 18th

-century liturgical items are also of considerable art historical

significance, the 19th

and 20th

-century items of local significance.

Architectural significance

The Anglo-Saxon and Norman parts of the church are of exceptional architectural

significance, bridging the interface between pre- and post-conquest architecture.

The tower is of exceptional significance as an outstanding example of the

Perpendicular style of the mid 15th

-century in Lincolnshire.

The plan form of the church is of exceptional significance for the development of

Minster churches.

The chancel vaulting by J L Pearson is of considerable significance, the Victorian /

Edwardian reordering in general is now so compromised as to be of low significance

as already noted.

5 ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL AND CONSTRAINTS

5.1 Issues affecting the church and possible solutions:

General

The status quo is unsustainable in the long term, putting an impossible burden on a

small number of people. The church needs a new vision, and new uses, to make it fit

for purpose in the 21st century. Change is in the best interests of the church,

facilitating visual, aural, physical and other means of access to the church and to the

Gospel, but this is not enough.

A much wider and far reaching offering of the building through community

discussions and input is a vital and necessary step. The potential of the church for

enhanced cultural, educational and tourist purposes is yet to be properly scoped, but

may be considerable.

Furthermore, it has been suggested that there may be opportunities to enhance the use

of the church as a place of spiritual contemplation by reviving links with Anglican

and other monastic orders, and possible closer links to the cathedral.

Options for the use of the building in the ways outlined briefly above and now to be

considered in more detail may include the need to reconsider the role and legal status

31

of the church in the Deanery and Diocese. There is considerable flexibility within the

Church’s systems following changes to the law, particularly the Pastoral Amendment

Measure (PAM, 2007) and the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure (2010).

Facilities

The absence of adequate modern catering arrangements is a major constraint on the

use of the church. Heating, lighting and advanced audio needs must be addressed. A

modern and sensitive update of all aspects is urgently needed. Failure to adequately

address these issues will make the church more vulnerable through reduced

attendance and limited potential for complementary use.

Fabric

The external fabric of the church – the “shell”, particularly the roofs of the North and

South Transepts and Chancel – is in general in excellent condition due to the success

of the PCC and Friends in raising funds for its repair, a major and noteworthy

achievement. As the next step, the interior is in need of a new vision and considerable

investment. Some fabric consolidation, conservation of features and furnishings, and

replacement will be necessary on a rolling basis, along with new heating and

ventilation measures to address the damp.

These works have the potential to impact negatively on the significance of the fabric,

furnishings and fittings if not carried out with due care and consultation. They also

however have the potential to reveal and enhance this significance.

Health and safety

An issue which increases the vulnerability of the church in this respect are the

perceived demands of recent legislation. Health and Safety Regulations have made it

more difficult for volunteer labour to carry out a variety of routine tasks. This means

that expensive equipment such as scaffolding may need to be hired for high level

works. The recent emphasis on conservation-led maintenance and repair also

mitigates against volunteer involvement, as specialist (and increasingly, accredited)

expertise is required for jobs previously done by laymen, or by building firms with

limited experience of working with historic materials and fabric. There are, however,

various grant-aiding organisations which can help in this respect, on which the DAC

and CBC can advise.

Risk management

All heritage assets are exposed to losses from disasters such as fire and flood, but

historic buildings and their contents are particularly vulnerable to such damage. The

church is especially vulnerable to fire damage because of the extensive use of timber

in its structure as well as in its internal fixtures and fittings. Damage may be caused

accidentally or deliberately.

Equally, however, buildings and collections are also extremely vulnerable to damage

from inappropriate fire safety regimes, protective works and equipment. A Disaster

32

Management Plan (for which the CBC has developed guidance), and regular reviews

of the safety equipment and procedures, should be instituted.

Access

The Disability Discrimination Act is generally, and to some extent erroneously,

perceived as a difficulty for churches, necessitating instant reactions and change. The

concept of reasonability in this context has yet to be tested, but knee-jerk reactions to

perceived problems generated by this legislation can be damaging.

This is a problem at Stow, particularly the west entrance with its steep uneven steps

and the steps from the south gate onto the path. From the crossing visitors have to step

up into the chancel and nave, and step down into the north and south transepts. There

is ample space for manoeuvring wheelchairs once inside, but it should be noted that

all kinds of disability are included and this is not just about wheelchair access; such

things as large print books and an audio loop fall within the remit of the legislation.

The lack of a dedicated car park is an issue for the church. It might be worth

exploring if there is any land which might be designated a Community Asset under

the new Localism Bill to provide this, and/or whether the Minster (or Diocese) owns

any land or assets which might be traded for such a plot. This may be a way the

Minster and local community can work together to mutual advantage.

Summary evaluation of the present position:

This is a famous historic church in an attractive village and area, there is a large

number of visitors (estimated 3,500 a year), and around 400 people live in Stow and

the immediate surrounding area. The church is in good structural condition, is

beautiful and fascinating, has excellent acoustics and rudimentary facilities. However,

there are weaknesses which make its position vulnerable:

(a) This building as it now exists is not viable for sustainable, 21st century use:

• it has poor pedestrian access, particularly for the physically disabled;

• it has only two small toilets;

• its heating and lighting system is expensive and ineffective;

• there is only one safe route for normal personnel access to, and egress

from, the building;

(b) in order to resolve the immediate shortcomings, the following are needed:

• good access for pedestrians;

• nearby parking and manoeuvring space for a sensible number and variety

of vehicle types;

• safe, multiple routes of emergency egress from the building;

• improved toilet facilities;

• support of services to provide sustainable heating and lighting, and storage

33

(c) in order to make it possible to resolve the immediate shortcomings, the

following are needed:

• good, pro-active relations between the Church community and its various

neighbours and stakeholders, territorial and ecclesiastical;

• the will and the energy (in all the parties) both to perceive that various

solutions are possible and, in addition, the legal, financial and practical

resources to implement an agreed solution;

• the leadership to develop and maintain the motivation to effect a

sustainable solution

Assessment of potential for change:

The church building is in very good condition, and inherently sustainable in terms of

its materials. If it is to continue in use for worship, complementary uses and forms of

community engagement may need to be found or better exploited, whether tourism,

cultural offerings, etc. The location is extremely attractive. There may be more

potential in this large church than is currently realised.

To achieve this potential, sustainability is needed in various aspects:

(i) Human sustainability – sufficient in amount, capability/skills, and motivation;

(ii) Financial sustainability – capital and revenue;

(iii)Energy/environmental sustainability.

It must be remembered that Stow is on the fringe of both the Lincoln and the Wolds

tourist areas, so looks both ways, towards Lincoln and its tourist attractions, and to the

rural hinterland. Visit Lincolnshire’s August 2010 Press Release noted that the value

of tourism in Lincolnshire reached £971 million – 14% of the overall economy. This

is the social and economic context for the development of this building – a challenge,

but also an opportunity.

The proposed way forward

To solve these problems and grasp the opportunities, the CBC intend to work with the

PCC, community and diocese on development plans to re-order the church, creating

space and facilities for use of the church by wider sections of the community, and

perhaps for one or more major user; however an options appraisal regarding these

needs is still in its infancy at this stage.

The options include various legal models, whereby the status of the church within the

diocese and deanery may change, although it will remain primarily a place of worship.

These changes will be considered in consultation with all the stakeholders, first and

foremost with the present PCC.

These plans may include complementary or alternative use of large parts of the

interior, but retaining at least the chancel for regular worship – it is by itself as big as

many parish churches. The nave and crossing could still be used for larger services,

weddings etc if these areas are designed to be flexible.

34

Initial ideas for development of the building include:

• Development of the west end, providing flexible space perhaps for a small shop /

crafts / meeting area. At the same time, thought might be given to improving

access through the west door for weddings, funerals etc, which might involve

repositioning the font.

• Development of the nave, addressing the unsatisfactory configuration of the

pews and the pulpit, as well as the redundant Victorian pulpit base in the

crossing, to provide a flexible space suitable for large services but also music

concerts and art exhibitions / cultural events

• Development of the south transept for a flexible meeting room

• Development of the north transept for a heritage visitor centre focusing on the

Medieval Becket wall painting and fine musician’s carvings. There might be

space for a small kitchen / servery.

• New environmentally sustainable heating and lighting, and reducing the running

costs and Carbon Footprint of the church will be explored

• Re-decoration throughout following the above, with new, attractive seating to

replace the current plastic chairs, as part of a new vision for the use of the

interior which embraces functionality, but within a clear liturgical and aesthetic

vision.

Following this necessary options appraisal phase, a development plan will be devised

and funding will be sought, probably including a major application to the Heritage

Lottery Fund. This programme of works is to be carefully considered with full

consultation and if funding is found, is to be completed over several years.

5.2 Potential areas of conflict:

Changes in patterns and styles of worship may lead to vulnerability in terms of change

to the internal order of the church, particularly its furnishings and fittings. As in so

many cases, the successive Victorian and later reorderings responded to the liturgical

fashions of the time and may not be considered suitable for the forms of worship

practised by the present and future congregation, as well as other complementary

uses. This can lead to a conflict of differing values, as changes to the interior of the

church to further mission and worship and new complementary uses may at times

clash with conservation issues.

The outline development proposals outlined above will also have a potential effect on

the appearance, fabric and use of the building. This will require early and open

consultation with the relevant secular and ecclesiastical regulatory and advisory

bodies.

Development can only be successful in the context of partnership with a number of

stakeholders – the local community whether they worship at the church or not, the pub

35

and shop, the parish and local authority, etc. Only in this way can the potential for

conflict be mitigated or removed.

This CMP process will help the various partners to identify such issues and address

them at an early stage.

5.3 Impact assessment of any current proposals:

This section will be revised (this is of course true of the entire document) as any

proposals for change are articulated in more detail.

The current ordering has been articulated as of local significance, as an example of

Victorian liturgical arrangements as interpreted by a leading architect of the period (J

L Pearson) but with many later changes. Little of Pearson’s reordering in fact

survives following successive changes to the interior in the 20th

century. A new look

at the interior could enhance its appearance and significance.

There is a great deal of flexibility, as there is no fixed seating in much of the nave,

transepts and chancel, and what there is might be made moveable, which would have

to be carefully considered, particularly the handling of the Medieval bench ends. The

position of the font, and implications of moving it, need to be particularly carefully

evaluated and justified.

The north transept has been considered as the space for a visitor heritage and

education centre within the church. The impact on the interior, sight lines and spaces

would have to be carefully evaluated if such a scheme were to be successful. Some

form of permeable division between the various areas and activities might be needed.

There are no fixed furnishings in this area to inhibit such considerations. There might

be space for a small kitchen/ servery.

The south transept has been considered as a flexible meeting area. This would have an

impact on the appearance of this area, as with the north transept. Again, there are no

fixed furnishings in this area, though there are moveable benches and an altar at

present.

One proposal which is being considered is that the chancel become the dedicated

worship area, with the possibility of break-out into the crossing and nave for large

services, weddings, funerals etc. This will require a new look at the layout and its

present and possible future liturgical functions, and how modern needs might be better

served. Experience at other churches teaches us that without careful planning and a

holistic vision, such mixed use of the church can lead to untidy, chaotic interiors.

Although nothing that is being proposed seems likely to have an impact on the fabric,

archaeological stratigraphy relating to the earlier phases of development of the church

survive at a shallow depth, which must be taken into account in the provision of

modern facilities. As necessary archaeological assessment should be carried out,

which might involve both non-invasive (perhaps Ground Penetrating Radar) and

invasive (test trenching) work, all of which would require Scheduled Monument

Consent. This work should enable the development of a Mitigation Strategy to

minimise damage, delays and cost.

36

6 MANAGEMENT POLICIES

This section sets out the policies that have been identified during the process of

preparing the CMP as required for retaining and enhancing the significance of this

major church and site in the face of its vulnerability. These policies will be fully

evaluated with the PCC.

Policy 1: To create a mechanism for a Review Procedure of the CMP itself. Our

knowledge of places like major churches is constantly increasing, and of course the

church and site and its environment are also in a constant state of change. The CMP

will provide a framework for managing information, to which new information can be

added as it arises. An obvious solution is to bed the Review Procedure into the

Quinquennial Review process, to ensure that the document continuously evolves and

remains accurate and useful. The maintenance of the CMP as a digital document

allows this to be done at minimum cost and effort; printed copies will be produced

after each major review. Policy 2: To retain the church as a place of worship, and work with the other churches

to maintain and enhance its active role within the parish, group, deanery and diocese. This may involve development of the building and site. Advice and support will be

sought from the Diocese, the Church Buildings Council and other partners and

organisations, including English Heritage and the local authority.

Policy 3: The PCC will use the adopted Conservation Management Plan to assist

them in managing the historic environment of the church of St Mary, its churchyard

and associated structures and features. Management decisions will be taken in

accordance with the principles and policies set out in the CMP.

Policy 4: The PCC will develop a strategy for the sustainable care of the building and

site, which will enable a strategy for funding the repairs to emerge. Such funding will

be energetically sought, with advice from the Diocese, the CBC, English Heritage and

the local authority.

Policy 5: The PCC are determined to enhance the ambience and retain the heritage of

Stow and will adhere to modern building conservation principles. Maintenance and

repair of this major historic building will continue to be carried out using appropriate

materials and techniques which are not damaging to its historic fabric and character.

The PCC will take care to make appropriate decisions and use appropriate materials

so as to avoid visually intrusive features in and around the PCC. Policy 6: The PCC are mindful of their obligation to the congregation, the local

community and its many visitors to provide access for all. The PCC will explore

potential for better public access where this is appropriate and not in conflict with

existing (or possible future) uses.

Policy 7: The PCC will explore other appropriate related or alternative uses for all or

parts of the building eg for community purposes, and for concerts, exhibitions etc

especially if a degree of income enhancement can be achieved.

Policy 8: Safety, security and inclusion:

37

Policy 8a: The PCC will commission a Disability Audit to ensure compliance with

the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (the terms of which came into force in 2004).

A disability audit should be made by a qualified person, and its recommendations

considered by the PCC. It puts the statutory obligation on the PCC to consider all

disability issues and take ‘reasonable steps’ to eliminate discriminatory arrangements.

This should be done as soon as possible. Once this is done the PCC will seek to

implement its recommendations so long as these are acceptable in conservation terms

and do not involve negative impact on or intrusion into significant fabric (including

visual intrusion).

Policy 8b: The PCC will ensure the protection of the building, including interior

fixtures and fittings integral to the design and function of the building, from fire,

lightning, and other safety and security hazards, undertaking specialist safety audits

and risk assessments to best current practice as necessary. This should include

provision for staff and contractors to receive appropriate and adequate induction and

on-going training. The PCC will also work on producing a Disaster Management

Plan, to help ensure that in the event of a disaster they can respond with preparedness

and in the most effective ways. The CBC has issued guidance on this.

Detection and alarm systems need to be kept serviced and up to date. Training, close

co-ordination and co-operation with the Fire Brigade are essential prerequisites of

successful disaster prevention. A realistic appreciation of protective measures might

suggest that the building be separated into zones. Evacuation procedures in the event

of an emergency when the church is in extensive use, eg major services, concerts etc

should be developed and appropriate training given.

New legislation makes it essential that persons responsible for non-domestic buildings

maintain records of asbestos in the building, for use by those carrying out works and

by the emergency services. This should include a plan showing the location of any

asbestos, a risk assessment and a plan for the management of assessed risks.(A type 2

Asbestos Building Survey was carried out by Rilmac Insulation Ltd, Lincoln in May

2005.)

Policy 9: Periodically review the statutory requirements and constraints governing the

management of the church and site with the help of the Archdeacon and DAC,

particularly in the light of the proposed Heritage Protection Review and Heritage

Protection Agreements with English Heritage and the local authority. If necessary,

short guidance notes to be circulated to PCC and other interested parties so that all are

fully aware of necessary procedures.

Policy 10: The PCC will make strong representations to the appropriate planning and

strategic bodies matters on all issues and proposals that might affect the PCC directly

or indirectly, making use of the material in the CMP.

Policy 11: There are various aspects of the church and its furnishings and fittings

which would benefit from research into the possibilities of proactive conservation

techniques. The DAC and CBC should be approached for advice and possible

funding. Efforts will be made to procure grant aid towards research and conservation

work, including:

38

• The monuments

• The wall painting

• The internal carvings and fabric

• The woodwork, particularly the Medieval items

Policy 12: Visitor management is an issue in terms of outreach. The parish will

continue to keep the church open during daylight hours for visitors. The printed

guidebooks will be reviewed and updated according to the information in the CMP

and as part of the Quinquennial review process and/or when new information

becomes available. All possibilities to improve visitor appreciation and numbers will

be actively considered

Policy 13: Archaeology policy.

Policy 13a: The church and churchyard have been defined as being of exceptional

archaeological significance. The policy of the PCC is to protect and if possible

enhance this significance. The guidance set out in ADCA 2004 and Elders 2005 will

be followed.

Policy 13b: The policy of the PCC in regard to human remains and their archaeology

is to follow the procedures laid down by the Church of England/ English Heritage

2005 guidance document.

Policy 14: The PCC will work in the long term with the architect and potential

external partners such as English Heritage and university departments towards

developing and maintaining a comprehensive database (in hard copy and digital

formats, with appropriate storage locations and environments) of accurate records for

the interior and exterior of the church and the area surrounding including:

• A geophysical survey of the floors within the church and the whole churchyard

would greatly increase knowledge of the development of the church, while

providing useful information regarding possible future development of the

building and site.

• A fabric typology survey (internal and external) identifying original fabric and

subsequent phases of repair/restoration graphically, photographically and in text

would be of great use to disentangle the complex history of the building

Policy 15: The PCC will encourage diversity of habitat in areas of open space where

this is appropriate. Be aware of lichen on walls and monuments and protected species

and legal requirements in this respect. (A bat survey was carry out by Conservation

Constructions on October 5th

2010).

Policy 16: The PCC will take into account in all its policies the need for

environmentally and economically sustainable development and management, and

will consult the DAC regarding playing its part in “Shrinking the Footprint” of the

church in terms of its environmental impact. The Environmental Audit (Appendix 1)

will be kept up to date.

39

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES

Directories and inventories

Morris and Co’s Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of Lincolnshire (1870).

Pigot and Co’s (1830) Directory for Lincolnshire

Whites Lincolnshire Directory (1850).

White's Gazetteer of Lincolnshire (1882).

Recent Surveys and archive material

Church Buildings Council survey file on the church, with much original material

pertaining to the history of the church since the mid-19th

century. Environmental

Surveys and Action Plans 2009-, Tobit Curteis and Glew & Smith

Available for view at the CBC library at Church House by request.

Notes from ICBS, from Church Plans online

Parish records, available from Stow PCC

Log book and inventory.

Latest Quinquennial Inspection Report compiled by Glew & Smith of Lincoln.

Local Plans, available from Lincolnshire County Council

Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan, available from

Lincolnshire County Council.

History and Archaeology

1983 excavation report by N Field, unpublished.

The Buildings of England Page 722-5 by Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris; revised

by Nicholas Antram 1989 Lincolnshire

Atkinson, G, 1850-1, ‘On the Restorations in progress at Stow Church, Lincolnshire’

AASR 1, 315-26.

Atkinson, G, 1863, ‘Saxon Churches: Stone or Wood?’ Gentleman’s Magazine,

1863/1, 755-62

Brock, E P, 1890, ‘Churches of the City of Lincoln ‘, JBAA 46, 17-28

Brown, G B, 1925, The Arts in Early England II: Anglo-Saxon Architecture, London,

passim esp. 354-6.

40

Clapham, A W, 1946, ‘Stow’, Archaeological Journal 103, 168-70

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