"The Best Kept Villages and Small Towns Competition was introduced to Lincolnshire, in its present form, by Lincolnshire Branch CPRE and Community Lincs in 1962"

"Ropsley has had a great deal of success in Class II of the competition.

The village has won its class nine times, in 1975, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2000.

Ropsley has also come second four times and third twice"

http://lincolnshirebestkeptvillages.co.uk/portfolio/ropsley/ 

Award pictured is sited on the village green near the war memorials. Other awards sited throughout the village. 

DB 6 August 2018

Former Fox's Brush public house, more recently known as The Ropsley Fox, which closed in 2012.

Listed in White's Directory 1872 "Hodson Hugh, vict. Fox's Brush"

Kelly's Directory 1905 has "Harvey Wm. Hy. Fox's Brush P.H"

DB 2020

"There is now one village public house: The Green Man, The Ropsley Fox closed down in 2012.

Previous pubs included The Peacock"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ropsley 

Listed in White's Directory 1872 "Green William, jun., vict., Green Man, assesr. & highway surveyor"

Kelly's Directory in 1905 has "Turner John Miller, Green Man P.H" and in 1930 "Gardner Albert Hy. Green Man P.H" 

DB 6 August 2018

"House; c.1700 with minor C19 alterations"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1253288 

Manor house marked here, at the east end of Chapel Hill, on the OS 25 inch map published 1888.

DB 2020

Peacock Farmhouse formerly the Peacock Inn birthplace of Richard Foxe.

"Richard Foxe (sometimes Richard Fox) (c. 1448 - 5 October 1528) was an English churchman, successively Bishop of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham, and Winchester, Lord Privy Seal, and founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Foxe  

Kelly's Directory 1905 has "Abbott Elizabeth (Mrs.), Peacock P .H. & farmer".

DB 6 August 2018

"On this site

RICHARD FOX

Bishop of Winchester

and founder of

Corpus Christie College

Oxford

was born in 1447 - 8" 

DB 6 August 2018

Kelly's Directory 1905 states " Public Elementary (Endowed) School (mixed & infants) erected in 1874, at a cost of £760, for 147 children, & enlarged in 1894, for 90 infants, at a cost of upwards of £400; average attendance, 143; the school has an endowment of £12 a year; William Dale, master; Mrs. Dale, mistress".

DB 2020

St Peter's has architecture from the 11th to the 17th century, including Anglo-Saxon work in the nave, Norman and Early English arcades, and a Decorated broach spire.

The porch, with its Latin inscription carries the date 1486.

This intriguing church occupies a prominent position above the village.

September 2013

This view from the south-west shows the early fourteenth century broach spire to full advantage. There are three tiers of lucarnes in an uncommon arrangement.

Peter Kirk Collection, 1997

St Peter's "consists of a chancel, nave, two aisles, a west-facing tower with spire, a south chapel, and a south porch"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter%27s_Church,_Ropsley 

DB 6 August 2018

The ends of several benches of medieval origin are carved with poppy heads.

September 2013

Medieval carved bench end in the form of a smiling human face.

DB 6 August 2018

Benefactions from the Duke of Rutland and Lord Willoughby de Broke

Hanging in the tower at ground floor level. 

Dated 1826. 

DB 6 August 2018

"The chancel has a C14 aumbry on its north wall and a C14 double niche or sedilia on its south side.

A tomb recess with C14 ogee decoration, damaged, shows that the chancel was shortened in C17"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

"The octagonal font is C15 with shields in quatre-foils"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

A small grotesque carving in the interior of St Peter's.

September 2013

Interior view looking east.

"The chancel arch is C13 and matches the south arcade"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

Interior view looking west.

"The tower arch is a recut C13 opening"

"The C12 3 bay north arcade has circular piers"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

"There is one monument in the south aisle under a recess, a C14 lady with her head resting on 2 cushions beneath an ogee canopy on which are carved further small figures, probably of her children"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

"The nave roof is C15 and braced with human mask corbels"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821

DB 6 August 2018

C20 pulpit.

DB 6 August 2018

"The south chapel is early C13 with one bay of triple responds and a double chamfered round arch.

It has a C14 piscina and aumbry"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

"The porch was built by Bishop Richard Fox, founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, who was born in Ropsley in 1447/8"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

"he C15 south door has a niche over it and an inscription recording the porch's construction in 1486"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

Mass dial visible on the south porch.

"Some 3,000 mass, tide or scratch dials have been recorded in the UK.

Typically located on the south wall of a parish church, this form of sundial was used to mark the "variable" time of liturgical services in the medieval world."

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/mass-dials/mass-dials.htm

See also

http://sundialsoc.org.uk/dials_menu/mass-dials/ 

DB 6 August 2018

"In the east window of the north aisle are remnants of medieval glass and a small fragment of an inscription "de Welby".

An engraving by Fowler dated 1809 shows this window before it was damaged and it is clear that it referred to Sir John Welby of 1376"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

"An unbuttressed C13 tower in coursed rubble with quoins, of 3 stages with moulded plinth and 2 string courses"

"The tower has a C14 broach spire with 3 tiers of lucarnes, the lower two in the compass directions, the top in the diagonals.

The spire has fine weather vane"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261821 

DB 6 August 2018

Remains of a pre-reformation wall painting on north wall of north aisle.

DB 6 August 2018

The First World War memorial.

Mark Acton, 2014

"A 1949 stained window to RAF fighter pilot Philip Dales"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter%27s_Church,_Ropsley 

Located in the south aisle. 

DB 6 August 2018

"The oldest memorial takes the form of a pink marble obelisk with the names of the fallen picked out in gold lettering.

It stands on the village green and was formally opened on March 30th. 1922 by the Hon Claude Willoughby MP.

It cost one hundred and seventy nine pounds thirteen shillings and four old pennies and was paid for by local people"

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/RopsleyandHumby/section.asp?docId=102350 

DB 6 August 2018

"At the millennium research indicated that a further small group of local men who had been lost in war had not been remembered on any local memorial.

In 2009 this was rectified. A second memorial was erected on the village green"

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/RopsleyandHumby/section.asp?docId=102350 

DB 6 August 2018

Former chapel now a private house.

"The chapel was built in 1837 and closed in 1989"

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/1028/ropsley_chapel.pdf

DB 6 August 2018

In "Brief Details of Chapels in the Grantham Circuit" Revised August 1998 Colin Sheperdson and Allen Griffin state :-

"A chapel was erected in 1837, on Chapel Hill, and closed March 1989. It is now in use as a storeshed"

Geoff Swain Collection 9 May 1994 

Date stone reads "WESLEYAN CHAPEL 1837"

Geoff Swain Collection 9 May 1994