West Lindsey’s 2025 Churches Festival will celebrate the rich architecture and heritage, tranquillity and spirituality, of the area’s churches.
Paul Howitt-Cowan, one of the organisers of the festival, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors from far and wide to our beautiful county. One hundred churches will be opening their doors to visitors during two weekends in May and we are even including a few neighbouring churches across the border in North Lincolnshire as well!”
On 10th & 11th May churches will fling open their doors in the west of West Lindsey. Tower tours at St Andrew’s, Kirton in Lindsey, a family friendly ‘mouse hunt’ at St Genewys, Scotton, and Viking Graffiti at the cruciform Anglo-Saxon Minster church of St Mary at Stow, are amongst the activities on offer.
Travel across the Lincolnshire border to Epworth, birthplace of Methodism, to visit the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, built as a lasting memorial to John Wesley, considered the father of Methodism and his brother Charles, composer of over 6,500 hymns.
Highlights during week two, on 17th & 18th May, in the east of West Lindsey, include ‘Value it, Flog it’ at St Edmund’s, Riby, where you can receive expert advice on your treasured items. St Peter and St Paul, Middle Rasen enjoy ‘Holiday Memories’, Holy Rood, Market Rasen celebrate ‘angels’ and St John the Baptist, Nettleton depict the ‘Colours of The Rainbow’ through vibrant floral decorations.
West Lindsey churches also showcase their communities’ histories through the ages. As well as delightful 14th-15th century pew ends, Ulceby St Nicholas has a rood screen linked to nearby Thornton Abbey. Hainton, St Mary’s, remembers the Heneage Family through its collection of nationally important monuments, spanning five centuries from brass memorials of 1435 to modern day memorials of 1954. 11th century Glentworth, St Michael shares its links to the Mayflower Pilgrims that sailed to American from Boston.
All Saints, Tealby displays information of the village links with Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. And Scampton, St John the Baptist proudly recognises its close association with the RAF, with windows dedicated to personnel from RAF Scampton and 617 Squadron and interactive screens exploring the lives of people buried in the miliary and war graves in the churchyard.
Some churches open for you to take time out from the busy pace of life. The small wooden St John the Divine, Southrey invites just that, whilst also serving strawberries and cream. And there are plenty of other churches offering tempting cakes and refreshments.
Paul summed up what the festival means to the communities in West Lindsey and said: “We know many people visit year after year and for that we thank you for your support in making this one of the biggest and best Churches Festivals in Europe. Not only are you supporting our church heritage, you are also supporting many of our small villages.”
Image: St Michael’s Church in Buslingthorpe (Push Creativity)
