St Martin
Stamford Baron, Lincolnshire
Whether seeking quiet reflection or a place to worship, visit one of the finest medieval churches in Stamford.
The stupendous chancel arch is part of the former, while most of the rest of the church belongs to the 1792 rebuilding.
The east front was rebuilt, in a design loosely based on its predecessor, with round headed windows and blind arcading filling almost the whole height, to extraordinary effect. The restoration was commissioned by Miss Eliza Wingfield (commemorated in the south porch), with Samuel Pepys Cockerell as architect.
The original Norman chancel arch was left intact, and is often considered the finest in England. Each of its six orders of arch has a different decoration: beakheads, zigzags, crenellations, and a row of heads comprising a delightful array of humans, animals and grotesques. The detail demands close inspection, and the effect of the whole is electrifying.