St George's Church is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in Stamford,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, England.

History

A major benefactor of the church was

William Bruges William Bruges (c. 1375 – 9 March 1450) was an English officer of arms. He is best remembered as the first person appointed to the post of Garter King of Arms, which is currently the highest heraldic office in England. Origins William B ...

(1375–1450), the first

Garter King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...

who is buried in the church. St George's claims to be the original church of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

. Originally the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

contained a series of seven windows containing portraits of the Knights of the Garter, but little remains apart from a collection of garter panes in the north chancel window and a few fragments in the south window including the centre panes of St Catherine and St Anne. The roof of the chancel with decorative angels was also the gift of Bruges. The central angels on each side carry on their shields the "Signs of the Passion", the pierced heart, and wounded hands and feet of Christ. There are numerous memorial tablets adorning the inside of the church including one commemorating Tobie Norris (d. 1626) after whom a Stamford pub is named and Blanche, Lady Wake (d. 1379). In the south aisle, there is a

Hugh Arnold Hugh Arnold (1872 – 11 August 1915) was an English stained glass artist. Arnold was educated at the Slade School of Fine Art before attending the London County Council (LCC) Central School of Arts and Crafts where he studied under Christopher ...

stained glass window (1909) to the memory of architect

John Charles Traylen John Charles Traylen ARIBA (27 February 1845 - 11 June 1907) was an English architect. Life He was born at Sibson in Huntingdonshire, and educated at Oundle School and Northampton Grammar School. He was admitted a student of the Royal Academy o ...

. The church's tower was probably built in the early 13th century when the first rector was ordained and is mostly original except for the top section, which was rebuilt in the 17th century. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

has some of the original 13th-century columns as well as 14th- and 15th-century expansions. The interior of the church was subject to

Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. It was not the same proce ...

when pews were removed, a new

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

built, and the floor was re-laid. In 1949 Bowman & Sons supplied a George & Dragon figure by

Mahomet Thomas Phillips Mahomet Thomas Phillips (1 June 1876 – 7 June 1943) was an English-Congolese sculptor and stone carver. His work features in cathedrals and churches in England and beyond, including in a memorial to Edith Cavell in Peterborough Cathedral, and a ...

for the church's Second World War memorial.

Rectory

16 St Georges Square, Stamford (geograph 6393648)

The Rectory is located at 16, St George's Square. Dating from 1881, it was designed by

Edward Browning Edward Browning (1816 – 1882) was an English architect working in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Stamford. Life Edward Browning or Edward Bailey Browning was the son of the Stamford architect Bryan Browning (architect), Bryan Browning (1773-185 ...

. As well as being a rectory, the house is also run as a bed and breakfast.

Incumbents

Martyn Taylor, the current rector, served as curate at the church between 1996 and 2003 before becoming rector. Source: Commemorative plaque on the church wall

References

External links

St George's Church Website
Church of England church buildings in Lincolnshire 15th-century church buildings in England Churches in Stamford, Lincolnshire Grade I listed churches in Lincolnshire {{england-church-stub