Highways and Byways in LincolnshireRawnsley, W. F. (Willingham Franklin)
History
Highways and Byways in Lincolnshire
Rawnsley, W. F. (Willingham Franklin)
Lincolnshire (England) -- Description and travel
Another six miles brings us to the outskirts of _Grimsby_, the
birthplace, in 1530, of John Whitgift, Queen Elizabeth’s Archbishop of
Canterbury. This is not at all an imposing or handsome town, but the
length of the timber docks, and the size and varied life in the great
fish docks, the pontoons which project into the river and are crowded
with fishing boats, discharging tons of fish and taking in quantities
of ice, are a wonderful sight. 165,510 tons of fish were dealt with in
1902—it is probably 170,000 now; and 300 tons of ice a day is made close
by. The old church is a fine cruciform building, with a pair of ugly
turrets at the end of nave, chancel, and transepts. Inside it is fine
and spacious, and in effect cathedral-like. The transepts have doorways
and two rows of three-light windows with tooth moulding round the upper
lights and the gables. A corbel table with carved heads runs all round
the church.
The south transept Early-English porch had eight shafts on either side,
in most cases only the capitals now remain. The south aisle porch is
good, but less rich. The tower arches are supported on octagonal pillars,
which run into and form part of the transept walls. They are decorated by
mouldings running up the whole length. The nave has six bays, and tall,
slender clustered columns and plain capitals, with deeply moulded arches.
Dreadful to relate, the columns and capitals are all painted grey.
There is a unique arrangement of combined triforium and clerestory,
the small clerestory windows being inserted in the triforium into the
taller central arches of the groups of three, which all have slender
clustered shafts. This triforium goes round both nave, chancel and
transepts, a very well carved modern oak pulpit rests on a marble base
with surrounding shafts. The lectern is an eagle of the more artistic
form, with one leg advanced and head turned sideways and looking upwards.
I wonder that this is not more common, for I see it is figured in the A.
and N. Stores catalogue. The sedilia rises in steps, as at Temple Bruer.
A raised tomb carries the effigy of Sir Thomas Haslerton, brought from
St. Leonard’s nunnery; he is in chain armour with helmet. A chapel in
the north aisle has a squint looking to the high altar. This chapel is
entered by a beautiful double arch from the transept, with Early capital
to the mid pillar. The proportions of the whole church are pleasing,
and its size is very striking. The tower has an arcaded parapet, and on
each side two windows set in a recess under a big arch, between them a
buttress runs up from the apex of a broad and deep gable-coping, which
goes down each side of the tower, forming the hood-mould into which the
gables of the nave transepts and chancel fit. All the doors, curiously
enough, are painted green outside. There is in the churchyard a pillar
with clustered shafts and carved capital, the base of which rests on a
panelled block, which looks like an old font. Many bits from the old
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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