Church of the Week
Hornby, Lancashire
St Margaret’s in Hornby, Lancashire, our Church of the Week, has history in every corner. It was built in 1514, but when you visit, you’ll find rare fragments of Anglo-Saxon crosses believed to be connected to an early monastery in Lancaster. Conflict has shaped the church over the centuries – the octagonal tower was commissioned in 1513 by Sir Edward Stanley to mark his return from the Battle of Flodden. The indentations visible on the tower today are said to date from a siege during the English Civil War, and in the churchyard, you’ll find a war grave from WWII. Art movements also made their mark on St Margaret’s – in the late 19th century, the pre-Raphaelites inspired reredos paintings and new stained glass windows by the noted glass company Shrigley and Hunt, as part of a sweeping Gothic Revival restoration by the Lancaster architects Paley, Austin and Paley. In 2018, lead theft and damage to the roof in other parts of the building left water pouring through the ceiling into the church. In 2023, we awarded St Margaret’s a grant of £10,000 to help pay for urgent roof repairs, helping ensure this church full of history can keep serving the community into the future.
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