Photos of Holy Cross Church
About Holy Cross Church
Holy Cross Church sits above the village of Great Ponton, just south of Grantham, and its tower is a landmark you can see from the A1 running through the valley below. Most of the building is 13th and 14th century, although the tower went up much later, in 1519 by a wool merchant whose manor house still stands next door. It stands tall above the village in pale limestone and dotted with intricate carvings including two heavy carved water spouts jutting from every face. Ideally try to bring something long in your kit, since the tower's intricate details carry on all the way to the top. A gilded fiddle acts as a weather vane on one of the corners, and the story attached to it involves a village fiddler who came back from America with money to show off to the local villagers. Evening is the perfect time to arrive because at the west end of the church the low sun spreads right across the carvings. The churchyard is open to explore and experiment with various compositions. The church itself now holds only occasional services so the door is usually locked so it takes some lucky timing to be able to access the interior. (Great Ponton, Lincolnshire, England)
