This house came to William Haigh through marriage in the early nineteenth century.

His son, William Henry, enlarged the house and added Italian stucco decoration to the front.

During World War 2 the house was occupied by the army and it was left in need of extensive repair that were too expensive for the Haigh family.

It was demolished in 1973.

More details about this house and its owners can be found in T R Leach and R Pacey's book, 'Lost Lincolnshire Country Houses: Volume 2', published by SLHA.  Buy a copy.

The chalk tower of St Nicholas is 13th century.  Nave and chancel are much patched and have 19th century windows with brick surrounds.

The oldest part of the building is the early 12th century inner doorway of the porch.

Inside the church is a hatchment of the Haigh family, who once had a grand house nearby.

Frank Robinson, November 2014

Undated postcard.

Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire 1919 states "The church of St. Nicholas is a plain edifice of brick and stone, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and an embattled western Norman tower containing 3 bells:

there is a stained window in the chancel, erected by the late rector as a memorial to his mother, and an ancient screen:

the chancel is fitted with returned stalls beautifully carved:

inside the tower stands an ancient boulder stone:

the walls of the church are calcined and exhibit marks of fire said to have been caused by the Danes in one of their incursions:

in the tower is a vesica-shaped window of the 11th century:

there are 120 sittings"

This view from the east shows the south porch and the former line of the nave roof where it met the east wall of the tower.

The church is Grade II* listed, see: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1063111?section=official-list-entry

Jean Howard, February 2024

The great variety of masonry, ironstone, chalk, brick and sandstone can be appreciated from this angle (viewed from the north-west), as can the existence of a single window on the north side of the nave.

The brickwork and the window are said to date from repair in 1834.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

View of the church from the south. 

On the south wall of the tower the Early English vesica-shaped window with mullion is an unusual feature.

So too are the square-headed wooden-framed windows in the south wall of the nave.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

The two windows in the south wall of the nave have timber frames and leaded lights.

They date from a restoration in 1834.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

A stylised eagle forms the arm rest at the end of a choir pew in the chancel.

Jean Howard, February 2024 

A single extensive box pew in the north-west corner of the nave is the family pew for the Haigh family who lived at Grainsby Hall.

Jean Howard, February 2024 

The church once possessed two of these handsome chairs but both have been stolen.

The photograph is in the record of Grainsby church made by the Church Recording Group.

A frieze of text runs around the upper edge of the chancel walls. It reads:

"THAT THINE EYES MAY BE OPEN TOWARD THIS HOUSE NIGHT AND DAY EVEN TOWARD THE PLACE OF WHICH THOU HAST SAID MY NAME SHALL BE THERE THAT THOU MAYEST HEARKEN UNTO THE PRAYER WHICH THY SERVANT SHALL MAKE TOWARD THIS PLACE”.

The quotation is from the First Book of Kings Ch 8, v 29.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

The sanctuary is tiled.

Commandment boards are displayed either side of the altar.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

Pevsner suggests part of the tracery in the screen is Perpendicular, that is, 1350 to 1530.

Historic England suggest the older sections are sixteenth-century work.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

These small sections of Norman chevron decoration - perhaps from an earlier building on this site - have been built into the east wall of the chancel.

Historic England consider that these sections and other blocks of masonry are possibly reddened by fire.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

The twelfth-century font is a simple tub shape.

Beside it is a large block of stone which is mentioned in Kelly’s Directory of 1896 as ‘an ancient boulder stone’; it was in the tower at that time.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

Above the Haigh family box pew hangs the hatchment for George Haigh who died in 1887.

In Pevsner’s view it is ‘badly repainted’.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

White walls and modern lighting give a bright look to this rather windowless church - as appreciated in this view looking east.

The enormous thickness of the walls can be appreciated from the depth of the reveals of the three rectangular nave windows.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

From this view looking west we see the un-plastered chalk wall of the tower with a fourteenth-century arch.

Jean Howard, February 2024 

The organ is by Cousans and Sons of Lincoln.

The firm have a very interesting company history at: http://www.cousansorgans.co.uk/history.html 

Jean Howard, February 2024  

The pulpit is very plain and, like most of the furnishings, dates from the nineteenth century.

Jean Howard, February 2024 

The coat of arms is painted on wood and is said to be eighteenth-century but it is so darkened that a precise date is impossible to make out.

Jean Howard, February 2024 

Looking through the tower a narrow Early English lancet window can be seen.

This is contemporary with the building of the tower in the period from 1190 to 1250.

Jean Howard, February 2024  

The chapel was erected in 1860 by Mrs Sands, then Lady of the Manor, and Francis Burnham Esq.

It is an attractive design with pilasters through the façade, and dentilled eaves below a hipped slate roof.

More information can be found at: https://www.mywesleyanmethodists.org.uk/content/chapels/lincolnshire/grainsby-wesleyan-methodist-chapel-lincolnshire

Jean Howard, February 2024  

The datestone above the central door.

Jean Howard, February 2024