Church of St Mary

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet village of Welford in the East Midlands. It is an Anglican parish church with Grade II* listed status, located where Church Lane meets West Street. A priest is recorded here in the Domesday Book of 1086, though the present building mainly dates from the 13th to 15th centuries. In 1872 the nave and aisles were restored and the north aisle rebuilt by E F Law. The church now contains a nave, two aisles, a chancel and a west tower.

The building is worth visiting for its long history and surviving records. Parish registers begin in 1561, kept today at Northamptonshire Record Office. Inside and in the old graveyard, every monumental inscription has been transcribed and published. One pair of late 17th-century headstones south of the south aisle is itself Grade II listed. These stones carry a partially legible inscription to Elizabeth Woodford dated 1677.

Inside, visitors find a spacious nave with north and south aisles leading to the chancel. The west tower rises above the entrance, and a detailed description of the fabric is available online. The churchyard holds further monuments and a quiet atmosphere. Welford shares its parish with Marston Trussell and Sibbertoft, each keeping its own church.