All Saints
Goulceby, Lincolnshire
Goulceby is a delightful village nestling in the valleys of the Lincolnshire Wolds on the Viking Way long distant footpath, All Saints is a welcomed shelter in inclement weather.
The most striking monument is the alabaster memorial to Sir John Guevera, son of Francis Velles de Guevara, who came from Biscay in Spain, and who is believed to have been the UKs Spanish Ambassador. The Guevara family had a mansion nearby on the Stenigot Estate. There is also a memorial plaque to Francis Velles de Guevera who died in 1592. The parish church is dedicated to St Nicholas and is a Grade II listed building dating from 1892. It is simply built of red brick and limestone, with a plain vestry doorway and a 15th century octagonal font.
The distinctive name 'Stenigot' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Stangehou. This is thought to be a variant of the Old English Stāninga-hōh, meaning 'spur of a hill' of 'the people at a stone'. Apart from the connections with Spain, the village is probably best known for RAF Stenigot. A radar station during the Second World War and later as communications relay site for the NATO ACE High programme. The site has since been decommissioned.