Page:Highways and Byways in Lincolnshire.djvu/327

 CHAPTER XXVIII

THE MARSH CHURCHES IN SOUTH LINDSEY

Alford—Markby—Hogsthorpe—Addlethorpe—Ingoldmells—Winthorpe—Skegness—The Bond Epitaph—Croft—The Parish Books—Burgh-le-Marsh—Palmer Epitaph—Bratoft—The Armada—Gunby—The Massingberd Brasses.

Starting from Alford, a little town with several low thatched houses in the main street, and a delightful old thatched ivy-*clad manor, we will first look into the church which stands on a mound in the centre of the town, to see the very fine rood screen. Before reaching the south porch with its sacristy or priests' room above, and its good old door, we pass an excellent square-headed window. Inside, the bold foliage carving on the capitals at once arrests the eye. The pillars, as in most of these churches, are lofty, slender and octagonal. The steps to the rood loft remain, and a squint to the altar in the north aisle chapel. On the other side is a carved Jacobean pulpit of great beauty, east of which is a low-side window, and east of that again a tomb with recumbent alabaster figures of Sir Robert Christopher and his wife, date 1668, in perfect condition.

From Alford a road goes north to Louth, branching to the right three miles out, to run to Mablethorpe, the favourite seaside resort of the Tennysons when living at Somersby. But we will follow the road to Bilsby, where Professor Barnard keeps his unapproachable collection of Early English water-*colours. From here we can reach Markby, a curious thatched chapel standing inside a moat, and now disused. Then we can look in at Huttoft to see the extremely fine font which resembles that at Covenham St. Mary, and Low Toynton,