All Saints

There is so much to see and so many fascinating stories to explore about both the church and the town!

For a medieval, rural church All Saints is large with superb natural light due to the huge gable and other 14th and 15th century windows. It is at the heart of the medieval town and conservation area with a superb early Romanesque tower from around 1080, 13th century nave, aisles, chancel and transepts with windows from 14th and 15th century and stained glass from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

On entering there is a glorious sense of this space. The main south porch has a huge, medieval door with 16th century carpentry but early 13th century decorative ironwork. Two other doors exhibit similar features, a rare set in one church. The medieval porch and this door had great significance for medieval baptisms, weddings and even secular transactions.

The very significant tower was built around 1080 to enable the new Norman burial liturgy with bell ringing and still shows many original external and internal features. There is a trail of such Lincolnshire Towers to follow around the local area.

The wide aisles and transepts were constructed in rapid succession in the early 13th century probably to accommodate chantry chapels. The anchoress, Beatrice Frank, entered her cell at Winterton in 1435 but where was her cell?

In 1566 there were major changes as the 'putting away of all papistry' occurred. The building was in a ruinous state after the Civil War but was saved by Thomas Place in the late 17th century. The locally constructed tower clock (1834) has a unique escapement which is still wound weekly by hand. There is a set of six west gallery wind instruments on display with hand written music manuscripts. Why did the churchwardens purchase a pipe organ in 1839? Why were the oak Georgian pews ripped out in 1872? And why in 1903/4 was the clerestory added and the roof profile changed?

The Heritage Centre in the church tells the 'Story of Winterton' stretching from preRoman times to the present day. It includes the development of the village from Saxon times, the Winterton Enclosure Award of 1772 and the Tithe Rentcharge map and schedule of 1844. Personalities linked to the church include Lady Boynton and Marshall Lucas Bennett, a radical medical campaigner. Town walk leaflets are also available.