Essendine

The village church at Essendine, eight miles south west of Bourne, is tucked away off the A6121 and is easily missed for it is accessible only by a track. In autumn, the surrounding countryside becomes a riot of golden colours as the trees start to lose their leaves and it was this wonderful sight that prompted us to stop and taker a closer look at this tiny building, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. 

The church dates back to Norman times and may have been the chapel of a castle that once stood nearby because traces of the moat and earthen fortifications survive. The door is Early English and the carvings above it are likely to have come from the castle itself (pity about the doormat, though) and as the church has no tower or timber turret, two bells are hung in an open bell-cote at the west end of the building.

Severe flooding in this part of the country damaged the church during the spring of 1998 and floodwater seeped into the building to a depth of thirty inches, destroying hymn and prayer books and lifting the wooden block floor. Restoration work was carried out and a new tile floor laid and the church was reopened for services in November. 

The village hall at Essendine

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