St James' Church, Louth

St. James' Church, Louth is a parish church in the Church of England in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for its tall spire.

History

The church is a medieval building. At 295 feet (90 m) tall, it has the tallest spire of any medieval parish church in England, and is second only to the 19th-century Roman Catholic Church of St. Walburge in Preston, Lancashire.

The chancel and nave were re-built between 1430 and 1440. Work began on the spire in 1501 and it was completed around 1515. The cost was £305-7s-4d (£305.37p), a large amount of money for the time. The spire was restored in 1844 by Lewis Nockalls Cottingham.^[1] A further restoration took place between 1861 and 1869 by James Fowler, known as 'Fowler of Louth'.^[2]

The church is mainly 15th century and is the third building on the site, replacing 11th- and 13th-century buildings.

Originally the church had five subsidiary chapels and altars and a three-story rood screen.

In October 1536, as a result of Henry VIII's ecclesiastical changes, people gathered in the church to start the Lincolnshire Rising, which was followed by the Pilgrimage of Grace. Neither succeeded and the church was stripped of its riches including the rood screen.

In 1937, it flew the highest flag in Lincolnshire to mark the coronation of George VI.^[3] Later that year, renovation work commenced on the spire, under the supervision of the architect, Mr. Goddard, who had previously worked on Lincoln Cathedral.^[3]

Dedication

The dedication of the church is to James, son of Zebedee, who was of significance in the Middle Ages as the focus of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

List of rectors

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Bells

There is a peal of 8 bells. They were recast in 1726 by Daniel Hedderly. In 1798 the great bell was cracked when it was rung to celebrate Nelson's victory in the Battle of the Nile. They were rehung in 1957, and the treble and two were recast.

Organ

The original Gray & Davison organ from 1857 was altered by Forster and Andrews in 1868/9. After a rebuild in 1911 by Norman and Beard, it now has 37 stops and three manuals and pedals.

Organists

Assistant organists

• Albert Sharman ca.1905^[10]
• Roger Harrison 1999 - 2011

Visiting and tourism

St James is nominated a "Cascade Church" within the Lincolnshire Church Tourism Network, an ecumenical scheme which promotes visits to and understanding of Lincolnshire's many churches. Like other Cascade churches it is stewarded on weekdays and there are guides available until 16:00. The western end of the church now has a tea shop, book shop and toilets, as well as information leading to other churches in the East Lindsey area.

Gallery

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  Interior of the western tower or belfry.

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  Nave and chancel, viewed from the western end of the church.

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  Chancel of the church, viewed over the nave altar.

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  High altar of the church.

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  Altar of St Stephen's Chapel.

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  Plaque commemorating Lincolnshire Rising of 1536, opposite south entrance to church.

References