Location
In 1989 Henry Thorold described St Michael's, Market Stainton as a 'most endearing little medieval church of greenstone patched with brick'. Twenty years on St Michael's has lost a lot of its charm. This textured Decorated church appears to be unused and is decaying fast.
The pointing of the fourteenth century tower has mostly gone, leaving the spongy greenstone exposed to decay. The nineteenth century brick angle butrresses are moving away from the tower. The lead coverings of the nave and chancel look thin. There have clearly been some attempts to redress the decay, the eastern part of the nave has been repointed, but these attempts don't seem to be keeping up with the tide of deterioration.
Although locked, I was able to take a number of photos of the interior of the church through the nave windows. The interior is filthy and neglected, piles of pews lie in the chancel and under the tower. The early nineteenth century plaster ceiling in the nave has been breached in some places and plaster is coming off the wall. How long is it before the delicate plaster vault in the chancel collapses?
I'm sure this building is loved by those who have responsibility for, but this is a isolated Wolds community and I suspect support for the church is rather limited. Like so many in Lincolnshire, the building probably presents an insuperable challenge for its guardians.
Access: The church is locked and there is no named keyholder. There is ample parking around the church.
If you want to see some more photos of Market Stainton have a look at my Flickr set
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