The parish church of St Chad, Welbourn. Dates from around the 13th century. Inside the south porch there are some interesting graffiti - from a rather exquisite sailing ship (possibly 17th century) to a late medieval cure charm (Superstitious belief held that if a representation of an afflicted body part was carved by the south door of the parish church, a cure would be forthcoming); on the opposite wall of the porch there appear to be notches carved in the stone - possibly used for arrow sharpening?
The village of Welbourn sits on the Lincoln Cliff between the market town of Grantham and the city of Lincoln.
The parish church is dedicated to St Chad and sits at the north end of the village next to the earthworks of Welbourn Castle.
"Parish church. C12, C13, C14, C15. 1854 restored 1884. Coursed limestone rubble and ashlar. Slate roofs with coped gables and finials. Heavily moulded plinth. Angled gable buttresses, except on the tower. All openings have hood moulds with label stops. West tower with spire, nave and aisles, chancel and south porch. Tower, 4 stages C12, coursed rubble with low later buttresses with set-offs, and topped with C14 coped battlements and octagonal crocketed spire with 3 sets of alternating lucarnes, and 4 thin flying buttresses and pinnacles. West front has a C14 moulded and pointed double chamfered arched doorway, with above a 3-light pointed arched window with moulded cusped reveal. Above again a tiny lancet, then a plain band and then a 2-light bell opening in a round arched opening with an octagonal pier and responds. The north face is blank with a similar bell opening. The south face has a tiny lancet and a similar bell opening, with a stair turret to the east topped with a short octagonal spire with a moulded finial. The north aisle has a single 3-light west window, three 3-light north windows a single 4-light east window, all in pointed, moulded, arched reveals with flowing tracery. The chancel, rebuilt in 1854, has a blank north wall and a large 4-light window to the east, plus two 3-light windows to the south, all in pointed moulded arched reveals with flowing tracery. The south aisle has similar 3-light windows, a single 4-light to the east, three 3-light to the south and another 3-light to the west. The south porch has buttresses with niches, and a coped gable with finial. A pointed moulded arched opening with triple shaft responds and wrought iron gates of 1908. Above a niche with triple canopy containing a carved seated figure. Inside the porch has stone benches and the doorway has a mould pointed arch with double keeled responds. The C15 battlemented clerestory has 4 windows to north and south each 3-light with panel tracery and cusped transoms within pointed arches. The east nave gable contains a small circular quatrofoil window and above a sanctus bell with canopy, to the north is a small octagonal spire which tops the rood stair, and to the south is a large square crocketed pinnacle.
INTERIOR: 4-bay northand south nave arcades, with plain double chamfered pointed arches, with octagonal piers and responds to the north, the south arcade has triple shaft responds. The tower arch is double chamfered with octagonal responds, the chancel arch is similar with triple shaft responds. The tower arch also has a
canearvon arched opening above. Between the clerestory windows are pairs of broad niches with cusped heads. The south aisle has a double pointed arched piscina, and a shallow chamfered tomb recess. Cl9 wooden roofs throughout.
C19 wooden pulpit and pews. C19 octagonal font. Marble wall tablet to Robert Knight, and 3 C19 wall tablets to the Disbourne family in the chancel. The east window has C19 stained glass."
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