St Lawrence's Church, Snarford, Lincolnshire

Address:
Snarford, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 3SL
How to find us | Access information
Opening times:
Open daily from 10am - 4pm. For further information please contact the Local Community Officer via email pclegg@thecct.org.uk
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Fantastic carved figures from Tudor times

Nothing about the rather unremarkable exterior of this small Medieval church prepares you for the breathtaking surprise of the interior of this wonderful church. St Lawrence has some of the most spectacular memorial sculptures in Lincolnshire.

The largest, from the 1580s, features lifesize figures of Sir Thomas St Paul and his wife, members of a dynasty of rich lawyer-politicians. Sir Thomas reclines dressed in armour with a gold chain round his neck; his wife lies beside him elegantly dressed with a ruff and headdress.

Round the canopy above kneel their eight children. Gazing on from the wall, propped on one elbow, is his rakish relation Sir George with his wife Frances, both fashionably dressed. Poignantly, in a little alcove below, is the tiny effigy of their only child, Mattathia, who died as a baby.

All the figures are eerily lifelike - look closely at the veins on Sir George's hands and Warwick's piercing blue eyes and ample, aristocratic cheeks. The alabaster monument to Sir George St Paul who died some 30 years later dominates the north chapel.

This church costs £837 a year to maintain. Please make a contribution towards it's upkeep at our donate page: http://bit.ly/31Vj601

A contribution can also by made by texting "SNA" to 70970 to donate £5 or 70191 to donate £10.  Thank you.