St Matthew
Normanton, Leicestershire
Fairy tale church almost lost forever under the waves of Rutland Water.
Now jutting into the lake close to Edith Weston, Normanton church was deconsecrated and would have been submerged when the reservoir was filled in 1979, but the upper part was saved. A commemorative plaque in names 22 people whose remains were exhumed from Normanton churchyard and cremated.
Also remembered here is Sir Gilbert Heathcote of Normanton Park, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1711 and governor of the Bank of England. His 18th century wall memorial, with an inscription full of praise for his noble character, is among those brought here from Normanton, along with the medieval altar stone in the north aisle.
A modern stained glass window shows Jesus and the disciples in a fishing boat, with Normanton church in the background.