Church Of St Martin

Church of St Martin

This is a parish church located on the west side of Main Street in South Willingham. The building dates from the late 13th century, mid 14th century, 16th century, and 1838, and is constructed of coursed greenstone rubble blocks, ironstone rubble and ashlar, and limestone rubble and ashlar. The roof is lead with stone coped east gable and east cross finials. The church comprises a west tower, nave, and chancel.

The mid 14th-century west tower has a plinth and moulded string course with diagonal three-stage buttresses. The west doorway was restored in the 19th century and features a pointed moulded head with jambs in one, a 19th-century hood mould, and plank doors. Above is a lancet with a 19th-century hood mould. The north side of the tower has a small round cusped window, while the south side has a small rectangular light with chamfered surround. A moulded string course defines the bell stage, with a single cusped plaque set beneath in the centre of the west, north, and south sides. The bell openings on all four sides each contain two lights: the west side has cusped ogee heads with quatrefoil, the north side has cusped round heads with vertical tracery, the east side has cusped ogee heads and mouchettes, and the south side has shallow pointed cusped heads with vertical tracery. All bell openings feature hood moulds with large head label stops. Above the bell stage is a moulded eaves course with clocks on all four sides, battlements, and corner pinnacles.

The early 14th-century north side of the nave was restored in the 19th century and has a fragmentary plinth with single two-stage buttresses at each end. There are four pointed windows with 19th-century Y tracery and hood moulds. The south side of the 14th-century nave similarly has single two-stage buttresses at each end and four pointed windows with 19th-century Y tracery and hood moulds. A doorway dating from circa 1300 is located to the west, featuring a pointed chamfered head, chamfered jambs, moulded imposts, hood mould, and plank door. Above this is a small 16th-century rectangular mullion window with hood mould.

The late 13th-century north side of the chancel contains a pointed window of three lancets with plate traceried quatrefoil and hood mould. A moulded 13th-century string course runs below from the nave to the east end of this window. The east end of the chancel has a pointed early 13th-century window with three lancets, restored in the 19th century, featuring a 13th-century plate traceried roundel and hood mould. The south side of the chancel has a 13th-century string course running beneath a pointed 13th-century window with three lancets, plate traceried quatrefoil, and hood mould.

The interior contains a 14th-century tower arch with a pointed head, moulded head and jambs in one, hood mould, and plank doors. Above this is a pointed window with chamfered surround and hood mould. The 19th-century chancel arch features a pointed head, moulded head and jambs in one, hood mould, and block label stops.

A 15th-century rood screen, heavily restored in the 19th century, consists of three large pointed openings flanked by single narrow pointed openings. The lower sections feature traceried 19th-century panels, while the upper sections retain 15th-century open work traceried panels with cusped rosettes. The lower sections of 15th-century coving are visible, with the upper parts dating from the 19th century. A panel of three quatrefoils appears beneath the north-east window.

The chancel contains a 19th-century richly carved reredos depicting the four Evangelists with a central cusped and finialled niche, a 19th-century altar rail, lectern, and pulpit. A 15th-century font, heavily restored in the 19th century, has a square bowl with two large quatrefoils on each side, set on a tall shaft of eight filleted columns. The interior also includes 20th-century pews, 19th-century tie beam roofs, and various small plain 19th-century marble or brass monuments.