St Mary, Essendine

     Not long back from a visit to St Mary, Essendine, just a short hop over the border in Rutland.  Another church I have been past innumerable times and not entered.  A small, charming country church. Simple plan - just nave and smaller chancel, both aisle-less. No tower, but a bellcote such as can be found all over Rutland. Nothing really to write home about architecturally except the south door which is very beautiful.  Norman, and not that grand having only two colonettes framing the door. However what sets it apart is the amount of carving which is unusually lavish: each of the colonettes is spirally fluted; the tympanum is carved with angels and Christ, as Pantocrator, blessing visitors; in addition the door jambs are decorated with carved scenes both outside and inside. All told quite a rare thing, though there is a something similar at Castor, not so many miles away to the south. A little bit of Byzantium deep in the East Midlands countryside.

     The church itself sits inside a group of massive ditches - the remains of a castle. It is said that the church formed the castle chapel.  Inside is cool and white, there are few memorials or any other features of note, but it is none the worse for that, or for what must have been a thoroughgoing restoration in the middle of the 19th century by a unknown architect.