Over 140 Lincolnshire churches to open their doors for first ever Lincolnshire Wolds & Coast Churches Festival

The inaugural Lincolnshire Wolds & Coast Churches Festival on 31 August/1 September and 7/8 September 2019 offers visitors the chance to discover the hidden secrets of churches and chapels across the region.

With free entry, churches and chapels from Louth to Woodhall Spa, Wragby to Sutton on Sea, will be celebrating their rich architecture and heritage and offering visitors the chance to become treasure seekers and discover hidden secrets.   

Festival highlights

The Festival covers a wide area of rural Lincolnshire, encompassing the market towns of Louth, Spilsby, Alford, Horncastle, Tattershall, Wragby, Woodhall Spa and Skegness as well a hundred rural hamlets and seaside villages in between, each church is unique, with an intriguing story to discover. Highlights include:

• St James Louth with the tallest steeple of any medieval church in England 
• St Margaret Well and a gamekeeper who was murdered by poachers, reputed to be the source of the Lincolnshire Poacher
• Raithby with the oldest Methodist chapel in the county. Built in 1779 and opened by John Wesley, it reveals an exquisite and lovingly preserved Georgian interior
 

Many activities are also planned: from organ recitals to flower and art exhibitions, bell ringing to afternoon teas.  There will also be exhibitions at many churches including Holy Trinity Hagworthingham, St Andrew Anderby, St Lawrence Revesby and St Margaret Thimbleby. 

Places of wonder

“Our churches are full of wonder,” says Revd Nick Brown, rector of Louth St James. “Each offers a different experience, whether it is beautiful tranquillity and spirituality or vibrant exhibitions and music or simply offering a welcoming oasis of peace and calm.”

“The festival is also about having family fun. Time is so precious today as families juggle busy lives against quality leisure days out. So we have created fantastic activities that every member of the family will want to get involved in. Some churches will have backpacks available, encouraging ‘treasure seekers’ to explore the beauty of our stained glass windows, and even create their own masterpiece window to display at home. And we also invite everyone to take the challenge and try and spot all the treasures in our brand new Church Treasure Hunt book, not only during the festival weekend but beyond as well.”

To find out more, visit the festival website.

QUICK LINK: Write your family history in 1,000 words

(image copyrights: Horncastle St Mary copyright Ashley Taylor; Theddlethorpe St Helen copyright Josh Holmes; High Toynton copyright Ashley Taylor)