Church Of St Margaret

The Church of St Margaret is a parish church dating from the 15th century, extensively restored in 1865. It is constructed primarily of dressed greenstone, with some brick patching, and has slate roofs. The church features decorative ridge details and coped gables with single ridge crosses to the east nave, east chancel, and porch.

The church comprises a tower, nave, south porch, and chancel. The buttressed nave sits upon a plinth with a heavy chamfered band. The tower, which is diagonally buttressed and of single stage, has a brick parapet and single corner finials. The west side of the tower has a single arched, two-light window with cusped panel tracery, a hood mould, and label stops; tie plates are visible on the west, north, and south sides. The north side of the nave features a blocked doorway with a moulded arch, hood mould, and label stops, alongside a restored three-light window with cusped lights, hood mould, and label stops. The north chancel has a 19th-century triangular arched, two-light window with cusped tracery, hood mould, and label stops. The east end has a larger, similar three-light window with a hood mould and label stops. The south nave has a three-light window with cusped tracery, hood mould, and label stops. The gabled porch stands on a chamfered plinth and features a moulded arched entrance and a sundial dated 1751 above the door. An inner moulded arched doorway with a hood mould, label stops, and a stoup are also present. A single 15th-century arched and cusped light is situated to the left.

Inside, the tower has a double chamfered arch and the chancel arch is double chamfered and off-centre, the inner order being supported on octagonal responds with moulded capitals. A plain octagonal ashlar font is also present. The south chancel contains a brass memorial to George Littlebury, dated 1612, depicting a kneeling male figure with a shield, and a memorial to Kath and Robert Burton, dated 1742, featuring an oval inscription tablet surrounded by bayleaves and topped with a carved bird, a crown with an open pediment surmounted by an urn and lamps, and a decorative apron. A carved and coloured Royal Arms of George III is also displayed. The father of Alfred Lord Tennyson served as Rector of Somersby and the adjoining village of Bag Enderby from 1808 to 1831.