St Mary's Church, North Cockerington

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet Lincolnshire countryside, a mile from its parish in North Cockerington and sharing its churchyard with the adjoining village of Alvingham. Built in the 11th century, it began as the chapel for the Gilbertine Alvingham Priory before becoming North Cockerington’s parish church after the Dissolution. The church was declared redundant in 1981 and is now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. The church’s architecture reflects centuries of change, with parts dating from the 11th, 12th, 14th and 19th centuries. Its walls combine greenstone, ironstone and limestone, while the tower, added in the 19th century, features lancet windows and a plain parapet. Inside, a 12th-century south arcade with pointed arches supports a painted inscription, and the 14th-century chancel arch carries another. Traces of a 14th-century knight’s effigy lie in the south aisle. Visitors find a simple nave with a south aisle under one roof, a smaller chancel, and a southwest tower. The 13th-century octagonal font and 18th-century box pews sit alongside 20th-century fittings. Three historic bells, two from around 1499 and one from 1634, remain in place though no longer ringable. The shared churchyard with Alvingham Priory’s ruins adds to the site’s quiet historical presence.