St James Church

St James’ Church defines Louth, and rightly so — it is stunning. As a KEVIS student we would visit the church for Charter Day and leaving ceremonies, and it’s equally stunning inside — my daughter sang in the choir there for a while, and I was always so proud of her singing in such a beautiful venue.
There is a lovely atmosphere in the church and the people who work there are lovely. The church also plays host to some really eminent choirs and musicians from time to time — we saw a wonderful rendition of Handel’s Messiah there a few years ago.
The spire of course is very famous and a trip up it to see the views from the top is a must!

When we were at School, this was the place that all our chuch services were held. It is magnificent inside and really a lovely place to visit. It often has special services, as well as the regular Sunday ones, especially Christingle, Carol Singing, Midnight Mass etc. It has the tallest spire in the UK and really is a lovely church to visit. From the top of the spire you can see a beautiful view over the whole of Louth

This is the tallest spire of any Parish Church in England and the church was painted by Turner. Not the church but a painting.
St.James’ has a 295 ft high spire from wherever you approach Louth, you can see it. The church featured in Sir Simon Jenkin’s book, England’s 1000 Best Churches.
St James’s was begun in 1501 and completed in 1515 it cost £305.7s.5d to build — a fantastic tudor achievement. The (in)famous architect James Fowler, responsible for so many Lincolnshire church ‘restorations’ in the 19^th century has his memorial in the nave.
The market town was once the largest in the area and has many beautiful, and huge, Georgian houses. St. James is a reminder of the wealth and status of its former citizens. The spire was completed around 1515.
Soon after it was completed King Henry VIII was planning to dissolve the monasteries and rake in all their wealth for himself. So in 1536 the Pilgrimage of Grace began in Louth, only to end the next year with the deaths of the ringleaders. A Plaque on vicarage wall says vicar was hung.
The church is floodlit by night, making an attractive sight that’s visible for miles around. Look out for the gargoyles on the side of the church, which have been carved in the likeness of former vicars.
The tower was built about 1440 — 1445 and the leaded spire involved a selection of masons and designers before it was finished. There had been two previous churches on the site, a late 12^th century one and a mid 13^th century one.
In the 19^th century restorations began with the ‘rebuilding’ of the belfry windows in 1805 by Thomas Espin. E. J. Willson re-​roofed the Nave and Aisles and Re-​built the North Porch in 1825 — 1827. The chancel was re-​done in 1828 by Joseph Fowler and in 1843 the spire was damaged by a Lightening Strike and the next year it was restored by Lewis Cunningham who increased its height by another 7 foot. The next two restorations were in 1860 and 1868 — 1869 by James Fowler who re-​laid the floors and rebuilt or possibly restored the North and South Porches. There was a restoration after 1950 started by W. Godfrey Allen (my uncle was one of the carpenters) and continued by G. G. Pace of York who also restored the six plain stalls in the North Chapel.
There are two fonts in the church, one in the west end of the north aisle was found in a local garden is a perpendicular style with a panelled stem and a frieze on the octagonal Bowl. The other at the west end of the nave is by Bodley of alabaster with crocketed ogees round the stem and dates from 1867.
The lectern and pulpit are both Victorian as are the Choir stalls but in the vestry there is a chest which is much earlier and given to the church before 1504 By Thomas Sudbury. It is known as the Sudbury Hutch. It has on it two carved panels with a male and female facing each other and are said to represent Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
The stained glass is all Victorian. In the Chancel by Clayton & Bell 1861, The West window is by Hardman, Others by Heaton, Butler & Bayne. The west end of the South Aisle by Frederick Preedy
There is a monument against the east wall to John Emeris who died in 1819 and has an inscription which is supported by scrolls in the Baroque or Rococo manner. This is by John Earle of Hull. In the south chancel is a wall tablet with a portrait in relief to James Fowler the Architect who died in 1892. High up on the wall of the nave are two tablets with columns left and right and an open pediments of Circa 1725.
At the west end of the nave there is a large Gothic memorial with a diapered background and an ogee cupola at the top in relief, this was to William Allison who died in 1845 and the memorial is by C. J. Carter. At the west end of the south aisle a memorial to Wolley Jolland who died in 1835 and it is designed by Chantrey and carved by T. Waudsby of Hull. In front of the above is the indent of a large double brass with figures under concave canopies.
An ecclesiastical friend of mine has a theory that there is a St James Church every 16 miles all the way to Compostella. Grimsby first then Louth, then Deeping St James (I think) and onwards.
To get a wonderful view of the surrounding area you can pay to climb the tower and look around you.