St. Andrew's Church, Folkingham

St Andrew’s Church stands in the quiet Lincolnshire village of Folkingham. Built in the late 12th century and finished by the late 15th, it mixes early Decorated arcades with an Early English chancel and a Norman pier that once opened into a chantry chapel. The south wall still shows the remains of stocks and a whipping-post from an earlier age. A pair of pinnacles toppled in a 2006 gale, one crashing onto the roof and causing heavy damage. Two First World War graves lie in the churchyard, marking soldiers who never left the village. Though the church dominates the village skyline, it stays out of sight from the Market Place. Its long history and the survival of unusual features make it worth the journey. The chancel keeps its original Early English form, while the arcades show the flowing lines of the Decorated style. The Norman pier is a rare survivor of the chantry chapel that once stood beside the nave. The stocks and whipping-post recall the village’s use of public punishment centuries ago. The war graves add a quiet reminder of the parish’s losses in the First World War. The 2006 storm damage shows how weather can reshape even the most solid buildings. Inside, the church offers a mix of medieval stonework and later repairs. The chancel arch frames the Early English east end, and the arcades carry the weight of the roof on their slender columns. The Norman pier stands near the south door, its original purpose still visible. Outside, the war graves are marked by simple headstones in the churchyard. The fallen pinnacles were replaced, restoring the church’s skyline. The stocks and whipping-post sit on the south wall, silent witnesses to past authority.