A tour of the highlights of the country that produced Thomas Cranmer, the Mayflower Pilgrims and the first English Baptists including some great puritan monuments.
Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire produced some of the great leaders of the English Reformation but most famously it produced the puritan leaders who became the key figures in the story of the Mayflower Pilgrims and also three of the leaders of the English Baptists.
Our tour visits some beautiful country churches linked to men like William Brewster and William Bradford, you hear about the great puritan writer Richard Bernard in his monumental church of Worksop Priory, see John Wesley's Epworth, and we visit some of the best church monuments of puritan figures you will find anywhere.
You can visit the quayside from which many of the separatists left England and also opt for an extension to include the homeland of Thomas Cranmer, the famous martyred Archbishop or John Cotton’s Boston.
Additional details
This tour is organised and managed by Pilgrims & Prophets Ltd.
The tour can start from any suitable point in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire: we suggest Retford, Newark, Gainsborough, or Lincoln. The end point can be arranged at your convenience.
The standard tour is planned for a day but we also offer a half day ‘highlights’ or an extension for those keen on the full experience.
Pilgrims & Prophets are a community group formed by local churches and led by a Cambridge educated historian. We love a good story but we also have a deep commitment to Christian heritage and faith in all its forms. We publish books (you may be interested in ‘From Here We Changed the World’ or ‘Restless Souls, Pilgrim Roots’) and promote national tours through our friends in the UK Christian Heritage Network. You can get a taste for our tour on our YouTube Channel.
Facilities & refreshments
Some of the churches we will visit have toilets, we will advise you in advance.
We can include refreshments and/or food, and will discuss this with you in advance. We use multiple locations with various options.
We can ensure that there is car or coach parking if required. The tour can start from any suitable point in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire: we suggest Retford, Newark, Gainsborough, or Lincoln. The end point can be arranged at your convenience.
Some of the tour will be outside so bring appropriate clothing.
Accessibility
This tour involves periods of walking and some steps. There are accessibility issues at some of the churches we visit, notably Babworth where there are ten steps. This tour is not suitable for wheelchair users due to steps at the churches. We can plan a tour where there is greater accessibility. Please contact us for details.
No special skills or knowledge required but please note that tours are only given in English.
