The oldest building in Elmesthorpe forms part of the Parish Church of St. Mary. The building was once the chancel of the ancient medieval church built in 1280. It may have had an earlier church on the site.
It is famous because prior to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, on the eve of the Battle, Richard III may have stayed the night in the church. Certainly it has been proven that his chief officers slept in the church the night before the battle even if it is not certain that the King did.
There is a restored medieval door dating from about 1385 in the tower area. When the door was being restored, musket balls embedded in the door from the time of the Civil War (1641-1649) were found. The door must have been used as target practice for the soldiers!
There are some conserved interesting ruins around the tower area. Inside the church is a sedilia (stone medieval seat in the wall) and a picina (ancient sink). It has a medieval font which was discovered in a garden in nearby Barwell, and a historical expert states it was not originally a font but a mortar (a mortar was used with a pestle to grind corn etc.), from the 13th century, of a type from a monastery.
There is a new modern stained glass window in the church, the largest in the Diocese, designed by Michael Stokes of Harlequin Glass. (The firm's name has changed since to M.D.S. Stained Glass). The glass depicts "Christ in Glory" and shows Christ in abstract form by swirling light with His wound marks in His hands and Mary His mother praying to Him in more traditional form but with the unusual feature of bare feet to associate with the poor of the world.
In the grounds of the churchyard is a bench that comes from the old railway station of Elmesthorpe. The station is no longer in use. The bench is there because a former churchwarden, George Wilkinson, now deceased, was the Station Master.
Nearby is a public House called The Wentworth Arms and also a hotel called The Badgers Mount.
Please note that it may be difficult for smaller cachers to reach this.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
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