South Somercotes, St Peter's Church

South Somercotes, St Peter's Church

St Peter's church at South Somercotes is frequently called the Queen of the Marsh, mostly because of its tall, slender spire, which for centuries has served as a landmark for sailors along the Lincolnshire coast.

If you are sharp-eyed you will have thought it odd that a church dedicated to St Peter is called a 'Queen'. There seems to be some confusion about the dedication of the church; some sources refer to the church as 'St Mary's', but the Churches Conservation Trust, who really ought to know, call it St Peter's.

The confusion might point to an old clerical mistake; it would seem that in 1585 the parish was joined to the neighbouring parish of North Somercotes. In 1681 the vicar was presented with the living of both parishes on successive days, and the clerk recording the event transposed the dedications, so for almost the next 300 years the church at North Somercotes was erroneously known as St Peter's!

The building is of Norman origin, but the slender spire is 15th century. The font and many of the windows are also of 15th-century date.

The church is not in regular use for worship and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. The Trust has had to perform essential maintenance work recently to prevent St Peter's from sinking down into the surrounding soft ground.