Church of St Mary and St Andrew, Stoke Rochford

St Andrew and St Mary’s Church stands at the western edge of the Lincolnshire Vales, five miles south of Grantham. The building sits within the conservation area of Stoke Rochford, a small village in South Kesteven. Its Grade I listing recognises its architectural and historical importance. The church is part of the Colsterworth Group of Parishes in the Diocese of Lincoln. Nearby churches include St John the Baptist’s in Colsterworth and St James’ in Skillington. The present structure occupies the site of earlier medieval churches dedicated separately to St Andrew and St Mary. The church is worth visiting for its long history and the families it remembers. The parish register begins in 1663, though the site dates back to at least the 11th century. The nave is essentially Norman, and fragments of an 11th-century limestone cross with interlace patterns survive in the churchyard. The south chapel was added in 1448 by Ralph Rochford, and the north chapel in 1460–70 by his brother Henry. The tower clock was installed in 1920 as a First World War memorial. Inside, the church contains chapels linked to the Turnor family of Stoke Rochford Hall and the Cholmeley family of Easton Hall. The chancel reredos was designed by Mary Fraser Tytler in 1911. The interior shows signs of later restorations, including a 1936 uncovering of the chancel roof. The churchyard holds memorials to the Royal Canadian Air Force crew lost in 1945. Annual services remember the Parachute Regiment’s role in Operation Market Garden, planned nearby.