Church Of St. Helen

The Church of St. Helen is a parish church with origins in the 12th century, significantly altered in the 13th, 16th, and 19th centuries. The 1860 restoration and rebuilding was undertaken by James Fowler of Louth. The church is constructed from squared greenstone rubble with ashlar dressings, and has plain and fish scale tiled roofs. It comprises a western tower, nave, chancel, south aisle, and south porch.

The 16th-century three-stage tower has a moulded plinth, angled buttresses, and a 19th-century belfry stage featuring a battlemented parapet and a west window of three lights with a double concave moulded surround and a four-centred arch with a moulded head. Single rectangular lights are situated on the first stage, and the belfry has paired lancets with angle shafts. A blocked 13th-century north arcade is visible externally, with reset late 13th-century aisle windows within the blocking; one features intersecting tracery and two have quatrefoils. The chancel has a 19th-century east window of three lights with roundels. The south wall has two 19th-century lancets, and a similar window is located in the east wall of the south aisle. The clerestory, present on the south side only, consists of three 19th-century lancets. A single lancet is found in the west wall of the aisle. The gabled south porch has a deeply moulded 19th-century outer opening and a smaller inner doorway with a moulded head and labels.

Inside, the Romanesque tower arch has plain reveals and simply chamfered imposts. The 13th-century three-bay north arcade, noted externally, has octagonal piers and responds, moulded capitals, and double-chamfered arches, complete with hood moulds and label stops, one of which is an ammonite. The south arcade also comprises three bays, but it is largely the result of the 1860 restoration; the detail of the eastern respond is of uncertain authenticity as the medieval head appears to have been reset. The 19th-century chancel arch has triple engaged shafts and a moulded arch. The roof and fittings are generally 19th-century, with the exception of two 17th-century chip carved chests originally from Wispington Church, which were relocated in 1974 and are now housed within the south aisle. A further chest is located at the west end of the nave. The square font, recut in the 19th century, is decorated with blank round-headed arches and dated 1599.