Churches of the British Isles

The Mission Chapel of the Good Shepherd in Great Langton is located in a quiet, leafy area at the top end of The Square, not far from Great Langton Chapel (see above). The chapel was consecrated to serve Great Langton on 1 January 1877, as an extension of St Wilfred's Church which lays outside the village. It was later closed and converted into a private dwelling, but in 2011 it could still be found listed online as a serving chapel, so perhaps closure was relatively recent.

St Mary's Church, Kirkby Fleetham, occupies land on the northern flank of Fleetham Hall, both of which lay on the northern side of Kirkby Lane and the village itself. Originally, there were two distinct villages here, Kirkby and Fleetham. The former has entirely disappeared, and the hall and church almost certainly stand in its location. The original church was in existence by the twelfth century, and elements of that church still survive in stones in the south doorway.

The present building is almost entirely modern, destroying most of its previous history. It consists of a chancel, north vestry, nave, north aisle, and south porch. The rebuilding was carried out mainly in the fourteenth century style. The massive tower appears to be one of the few surviving older features, dating mainly from the fifteenth century. It contains three bells. An effigy of a knight who is probably the son of the Sir Nicholas Stapleton stands in the chancel.

St Andrew's Church, Great Fencote, stands at the north-west corner of the junction between Fleetham Lane and Todd Lane. The Scropes family in 1546 had a chantry chapel around here which was still in use in 1576. The present church was built in the style of the thirteenth century, but exactly when is not known. It consists of a chancel and nave, north vestry, south porch and a bell cote on the west gable. There is an open wooden roof throughout the building.

Great Fencote Wesleyan Chapel stands beside houses on the western side of Fleetham Lane, in the middle of the hamlet where the street joins a westwards curve towards farm buildings. The chapel was conveyed by deed on 24 April 1845. Trustees for it were appointed by the Charity Commissioners in 1893, and the building was certainly still in use in 1914. However, at some point after that the chapel was closed, possibly in 1932, and converted into a dwelling.

All photos on this page kindly contributed by Colin Hinson.