Church of Our Lady of Egmanton

The Church of Our Lady of Egmanton stands in the quiet village of Egmanton in Nottinghamshire. A Grade I listed building, it combines Anglo-Saxon stonework with later medieval additions. The church has a chancel, a clerestoried nave, a north aisle, a south transept and a west tower. Romanesque features include a plain south doorway, a north arcade and the font. The three bells in the tower were cast by John Taylor & Co. The church holds the Shrine of Our Lady of Egmanton, whose origins lie in a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary before the 12th century. Pilgrims once travelled from the north to Egmanton on their way to Walsingham. Medieval pilgrims scratched crosses on the walls to mark fulfilled vows. The shrine was destroyed in 1547 but revived in 1929. Father Alfred Hope Patten led a pilgrimage in 1930, and the Society of Our Lady of Egmanton now organises several pilgrimages each year. Inside, the 1896–98 restoration by Sir Ninian Comper introduced a striking organ case modelled on Freiburg cathedral and a pulpit copied from Ghent. Comper also designed the stained glass. The rood screen was restored in 2005 by Michelle Pepper with support from the Nottinghamshire Historic Churches Trust. The organ stands above the south door, its console on the rood screen. The church’s bells still ring, and the belfry once held a list of cake-giving couples from the 18th century.