Winterton and All Saints’ Church

There is much of interest in All Saints and within our community of Winterton. The town still shows much of its medieval origins and has several handsome Georgian stone houses. All Saints, very large for a rural church, dates from before 1100 and has many interesting features as well as hosting Winterton’s heritage centre.

The town of Winterton
Winterton is a small town [population almost 5,000] close to the Humber Estuary. It sits on the upper part of the Lincoln Edge limestone dip slope, facing east, and the parish slopes gently down to the River Ancholme. To the east of the town Ermine Street runs north from Lincoln towards the former Humber crossing point at Winteringham. Along the western edge of the town, Old Street, the pre-Roman ridge top way, runs from Lincoln also towards Winteringham. A number of important Roman remains exist locally including Winterton Roman Villa. Although not historically attested, it is possible that, around 485, Winta, the first of the Lindisware to rule, started his Anglo-Saxon kingdom based on Winterton and neighbouring Winteringham. The kingdom developed to become Lindsey. The name Winta means ‘white’, probably in the sense of blond hair, which would be a notable feature of the Angles in relation to the darker native Britons.
The present settlement is certainly of Anglo-Saxon origin and listed in the Domesday Survey. The layout is medieval with long narrow plots running north/south on either side of High Street, Low Street, King Street and Park Street. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, Winterton expanded dramatically as a result of the prosperity brought about by agricultural improvements. This made it a market town of regional significance. However, it was eclipsed by the even more dramatic rise of Scunthorpe in the late 19th
century. The loose-knit town, with a distinct emphasis on east-west streets, has been infilled by successive phases of development which continued throughout the 20th century. It is now largely a dormitory settlement but it maintains a range of shops and services and has nurseries and infant, junior and secondary comprehensive schools which serve many surrounding villages. All Saints is located at the heart of Winterton’s Conservation Area of which it is an integral part. The buildings in this conservation area span several centuries, but they are united by a predominant use of local limestone, brick and tiles. The informal streets are defined by properties, which generally front
directly onto them. The earlier houses date from the 17th century but most of the historic buildings are late Georgian town houses.

All Saints’ Church
North Lincolnshire Council state that “The most important listed building [in Winterton] is the Church of All Saints…. It is listed Grade I.” [Winterton Conservation Area Appraisal – March 2002]. The tower, and high nave roof, can be seen from afar on the approach roads to Winterton and from footpaths across the shallow valley to the south. The central location of the church on the south facing slope above the market place provides a beautiful backdrop to the town centre. Artists have often painted this view. It is likely that the churchyard is older than any part of the current church building since it is possible, though there is no firm evidence, that an Anglo-Saxon church occupied the site before the present stone building. The church is located close to the site of the former Weir Pond which occupied the centre of Market Street or Weir Hill as it was once known . This large spring-fed pond was filled in and covered over in the 1860s but is likely to have been the site of baptisms in early Christian times. All Saints is large for a rural church and was this size by 1245. The tower was erected about 1080/1090
against an even older stone building. Much of this early medieval fabric remains and has been repaired and re-ordered in the recent £1.8m project which includes a hospitality extension [toilets and commercial kitchen]. It remains an active church which is now also a superb heritage centre and community event venue.
ourchurchweb.org.uk/winterton/

Opening hours:
From 2-4pm every Saturday and on some Wednesdays we are open especially for visitors. Welcome staff are on hand to answer any questions. The church is also open regularly for church services and community activities [see our website for our events programme]

Parking:
Please note that Churchside is a narrow, one-way street and parking is not possible. Street parking is usually possible on West Street [north of the church].

Visiting Winterton
The best way to see Winterton is to use the free Walk Around Winterton leaflet available at the church. It will lead you round the historic core of the town, allow you to see a range of interesting buildings and learn about the local heritage. A number of maps, walks & Trails can be found here: Leaflets & Brochures – Visit North Lincolnshire

The nearest bus stop to our church is in High Street. There is the 350 service [Scunthorpe-Hull] as well as
the 55 [Scunthorpe, Appleby, Winterton].