Historic places in Stamford

Historic places in Stamford

1. See

   Barnack

   is a small village 3½ miles southeast of Stamford. The parish church is Anglo-Saxon. Findings from a Bronze Age burial chamber are in the British Museum in London. The "Hills and Holes" are ancient limestone quarries, abandoned and overgrown from 1500 AD, and now a National Nature Reserve.

2. See

   Priest's House

   This small 15th-century rectory contains a history exhibition, especially on the local slate industry. It was built for John Stokes - he was brother-in-law to William Browne, and oversaw the completion of the Hospital when Browne died. It's managed by the National Trust but usually unstaffed - a sign on the door lists nearby key-holders. The rectory later moved to the much grander Glebe House (now a private residence), birthplace of Captain Lancelot Skynner (1766–1799). His ship HMS Lutine was lost with all aboard off the Friesian Islands, with a fabulous cargo of gold that has never been found. Salvage attempts recovered the ship's bell, and this "Lutine Bell" is rung at Lloyd's of London to mark major events.

   Daily 10AM-5PM·Free

3. See

   St Leonard's Priory

   The Priory was re-established around 1082 under William the Conqueror, on the site of a 7th century monastery destroyed in the 11th. It was a "cell" - an outpost - of Durham cathedral monastery until both were dissolved in 1538. What you see now is the exterior of the bricked-up nave, rebuilt in the 19th century, with a fine west front. Other remnants are buried below the present ground level.

4. See

   St Mary's Church

   This was built in the 12th century, with the tower added in the 13th and spire in the 14th. It doesn't lean, but the spire has creaked and tottered and been reinforced for six centuries. The fine Corpus Christi or North Chapel has a decorated medieval wagon vault. The church was refurbished in the late 19th century under Arts & Crafts influence, especially seen in the stained glass window of the Lady Chapel. An ornate tomb holds Sir David Philips (d 1506), ally of Henry VII. The church follows the "High Anglican" tradition of the Victorian Oxford Movement, when English Protestants re-discovered the attractions of Catholic smells and bells.

   Daily 9AM-5PM

5. Buy

   Walkers Bookshop

   A traditional family-run bookshop. Stop by and admire the old building and maybe pick up one of the many books about Stamford's history.

   Mon-Sat 8:30AM-5:30PM

6. See Not mapped

   Stamford Library

   A curious squat cod-classical building, as if the Natwest had calved. It was opened in 1808 as a meat market: in 1903 Carnegie endowed public libraries all over Britain, and most towns erected new buildings, but Stamford just cleared out the sheep shanks and pigs' trotters and converted this place. It has a small display of local history.

   Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-4PM

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Stamford (CC BY-SA 4.0).