Venue Type & Location
Performance Spaces
Overview
Located in the centre of the market town of Louth in the rolling landscape of the Lincolnshire Wolds, the coarsed rubble and ashlar parish church is distinguished by a magnificent spire, reputed to be the tallest in England from the late medieval period.
Performance History
The Queen's Players are known to have performed in the church in 1556--7 and other players were paid by the churchwardens in the mid-16th c.
Current Status
History of the Venue
12th c. First parish church built on the site.
ca. 1247 Church rebuilt.
mid 15th c. Chancel and nave rebuilt, incorporating the earlier nave arcade, slightly relocated and raised on new bases, with an additional, wider arch at the W end.
1515 Tower and spire completed.
1561 Rood screen and loft removed.
1632 Spire and N aisle damaged in a storm and repaired.
1780s Galleries added above the N and S aisles.
1825 Nave roof renewed.
1828 Chancel renovated by Joseph Fowler.
1843--4 Spire struck by lightning and repaired, its height raised to 295'.
1860s Victorian restoration by James Fowler removed the galleries, replaced the pews, choir stalls, font and high altar. New stained glass installed in the windows. N and S porches restored or rebuilt.
1980s 15th c. font rediscovered in the rectory garden and restored to the church.
Record Source
REED Lincolnshire 1.238--9
Patrons who owned this venue
[No data found.]
Bibliographic Sources
- Allen, Thomas. The History of the County of Lincoln, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. London & Lincoln: John Saunders, Junior, 1834
- Goulding, R.W., comp. Louth Old Corporation Records. Louth: J.W. Goulding, 1891
- Pevsner, Nikolaus, and John Harris. Lincolnshire. 1964. London: Penguin Books, 1998
- Robinson, David N. The Book of Louth: The Story of a Market Town. Buckingham: Barracuda Books Limited, 1979
- Sketch of the History of Louth, traced from its earliest period to the present time. Louth: W. Shepherd, 1864
- St James's Louth. Louth: npub, nd
- Swaby, J.E. A History of Louth. London: A. Brown & Sons, 1951