"The church dates from the 13th century, but was restored between 1852 and 1853 by Broadbent and Hawley when repair were made and new oak benches were installed.
The remains of the villa, and a ditch running from north to south underneath the nave have caused serious structural problems for the church. The church closed in 2006 due to its structural problems and, following the raising of over £250,000 for repairs, it re-opened in 2013.
The church is in a joint parish with St Leonard's Church, Holwell
Together, they form part of a wider benefice which includes
All Saints' Church, Asfordby
St Michael, Wartnaby
St Peter, Saxelbye
St John the Baptist, Grimston
The peal of three bells, dating from 1599, 1653 and 1765 was augmented to six in 2015 with the addition of two new bells cast by John Taylor & Co, and a third bell, cast in 1929 and relocated from Gorran Churchtown, Cornwall."
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"The church here consists of west tower, aisled nave, clerestory, south porch and chancel. The church dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. The west tower is three stage and is battlemented. There is a double window at the bell chamber stage. On top of the tower is a recessed octagonal spire. Three clerestory windows can be seen to both north and south side.
Six bells hang here, with the first two of the ring being cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 2015. The third is from George Oldfield I of Nottingham in 1653, with this being the re-casting of a previous bell. The fourth is of great age and interest, being cast by Newcombe of Leicester in 1599. The fifth of the ring is courtesy of George Hedderly I , who worked from premesis in Nottingham, in 1765. The ring is completed by another from Taylor of Loughborough, this one dated 1929.
In the mid 20th century, the tower here was in a poor state. Repairs were carried out and a new bell frame was installed which would support a ring of six. The ring here finally reached that total when the two modern bells from Taylor were hung, more than 60 years after the bell frame was installed.
Moving inside and the lights were on due to it being pretty dull outside. There is no stained glass here and I can imagine this being bright and welcoming on a sunny day with the sun streaming in through the south windows.
The nave has three arcades to north and south. The bays to the south date from the 13th century, the bays to the north date from the 19th century and are copies of that from the south. Carvings of human heads, some with slightly unnerving sightless eyes, can be seen on some of the capitals. The male heads are crowned, with one sporting an impressive beard. A female head wears a headdress. Grapes are positioned inbetween the heads. The church was restored in the 1850's, at a cost of £700. Much of the seating dates from the time of this restoration, but there are some finely carved bench end dating from the 15th century, with a couple of these depicted with their tongues stuck out in medieval gesture of insult.
Dotted throughout the nave are a selection of finely carved human heads, shadows playing delightfully around them in the artificial light. Victorian tiles lead the length of the nave and in to the chancel.
The four light east window of the chancel is of clear glass and has perpundicular tracery. Propped up nearby is a gravestone of the Belvoir Angel design, of which more will be told later. This dates from 1712 and has obviously fallen at some point and been brought inside due to its historical interest. On the east wall of the chancel is a fine monument to one Matthew Dexter. Dating from 1728, this features a cartoon like depiction of the Belvoir Angel. A fine monument to Everard Digby, is dated 1628. The Digby family were an important family for hundreds of years in the area, with one family member being involved in the Gumpowder Plot of 1605.
The church grounds here are a delight, with many interesting graves gravestones dating from the early 18th century. As is to be expected in this part of the country, many of the graves are in slate, and as a result are really well preserved.
There are several instances of what have become known as 'Belvoir Angel stones' here. These are all carved in slate and are carved along similar lines. There are one or two beautifully carved cherubs head, with outstretched wings and wearing a ruff. Very often there are symbols of the mortality of man across the top, such as crossed human bones or hour glass. Text runs alongside this at times, also reminding the onlooker that Man is mortal and will die. 'Remember thy end' and 'Be ye ready' appears regularly.
The carvings are fabulously crafted with the accompanying text less so. Sometimes words are squeezed above or below the end of lines and have obviously not been laid out prior to carving. These stones first appeared in the latter years of the 17th century and production was continued until the middle of the 18th century. Over 300 remain standing with the majority of them being in the church grounds at Nether Broughton, Upper Broughton and Hickling. Very little is known about the people who carved these but it is thought that the stonemasons would have been based in or around these villages.
One the back of one grave it is carved 'Its appointed all men must die. And not live here eternally. And after death be judged all, When God Almighty comes to call'.
One grave, not a Belvoir Angel grave, reads... 'You readers all both old and young, your time on earth will not be long. For death will come and die you must, andlike to me return to dust'. Close by a human skull, withe serpent slithering through an eye socket, with hour glass above, states the same message in symbol form. This one has the wording .Mors Janua Vitae' across the top, which translates as death is the door to life."
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