St. Andrew's Church, Heckington

St. Andrew's Church, located in Heckington, Lincolnshire, England, began construction around 1307 in a cruciform plan[1] and a decorated style.[2] The Anglican Parish church measures 164 feet long and 180 feet tall at the spire.[3] The church is made of Ancaster stone and features a clerestoried nave, aisles, and transepts.[3] It is perhaps best known for its Easter sepulchre, intricate window tracery, and exterior carvings.[3]

History

St. Andrew's Church in Heckington replaced a previous church that was present as early as the 1190s.[2]

The current church, dedicated to Saint Andrew,[2] was founded in the early 14th century by Richard de Potesgrave, a Chaplain to King Edward II and later to King Edward III.[4][1] King Edward II also appointed Henry de Beaumont to oversee the Heckington area and the construction of the church alongside Potesgrave.[1] Potesgrave was the rector of St. Andrew's Church from 1307 to his death in the mid-late 1340s.[2]

In 1345, the Church was acquired by Bardney Abbey.[1]

Some features, like the North transept window, were replaced in the 1800s.[3]

The church has been Grade I listed by Historic England since 1967.[5]

Sculpture

As an example of the decorated style, St. Andrew's exterior is heavily decorated with gargoyles in many distinct forms.[6] These carvings depict a wide range of subjects, including people, mermaids, dogs, boars, demons, and angels.[2]

Theories suggest that these sculptural elements may satirize human sin or immorality.[6] Mermaids and other apparently part-human forms may be references to Greek mythology, warning against pride or lust.[2]

While much remains, some sculptural elements were defaced or destroyed over the centuries, likely by iconoclasts.[2]

Interior features

The chancel of St. Andrew's holds the church's most popular and notable features, including the Easter sepulchre, sedilia, and the tomb of Richard de Potesgrave.[3]

Easter Sepulchre

The Easter sepulchre was made to hold a sacrament from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.[2] This was part of a religious ritual symbolizing the entombment and later resurrection of Christ.[7]

The sepulchre at Heckington is noted for its intricate sculptural detailing around a triangular arch opening.[3]Four seated soldiers separated by buttresses decorate the bottom of the sepulchre.[3] On either side of the opening and framed by shafts rising from the buttresses below are reliefs of the Three Marys and an angel.[3] Depicted above the slopes of the opening are two more angels, and at the peak is the risen Christ.[3]

Sedilia

The church has a triple sedilia, made to seat three members of the clergy.[2]

It is an inset area with buttress-shafts similar to the Easter sepulchre.[3] It is heavily decorated above the canopy[2] with six small reliefs. These depict Christ in Majesty and the Virgin Mary; with virgin martyrs alongside, St Katherine with wheel, and St Margaret, defeated dragon (demon) at her feet.[8][3] Above each figure, sculpted angels hold crowns above their heads. A female acolyte is shown at each end.[3]

Tomb of Richard de Potesgrave

Richard de Potesgrave was buried in the church in an inlaid tomb.[3] The tomb features an effigy of Potesgrave in rich, draping garb.[9] The sculpted face is largely destroyed, but the rest of the figure remains in good condition.[9] A chalice found inside the tomb in 1800 is now on display above the effigy.[2]

Stained glass

While much has been replaced over the centuries, some medieval stained glass from the time of construction survives.[4] According to Dr. Jim Cheshire of the University of Lincoln, only about 5% of all stained glass from the medieval period has survived to the present day.[4]

While most windows depict religious scenes, some of the original stained glass is known to have featured the Beaumont family coat of arms.[1]

About 500 original pieces of stained glass were taken from the west window of St. Andrew's Church for restoration in 1946.[10] After decades of restoration efforts, the glass fragments were returned to St. Andrew's in January 2025.[10]

Window decoration varies throughout the church, mixing reticulated tracery with trefoils and quatrefoils.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Lamb, Andy. "The Bagpipe Society". www.bagpipesociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Heckington". greatenglishchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Pevsner, Nikolaus; Harris, John (1964). The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin. pp. 566–568.
  4. ^ a b c "Heckington church's forgotten medieval glass to be returned". BBC News. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1360590)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b Camille, Michael (1992). Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-0-948462-28-3.
  7. ^ "Vetusta Monumenta: Plates 3.31-3.32: Holy Sepulchres at Northwold and Heckington". Vetusta Monumenta: Ancient Monuments, a Digital Edition. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  8. ^ Cameron, James Alexander (January 2015). Sedilia in Medieval England (PhD thesis in Art History). Courtauld Institute of Art. p. 171. – via Stained Glass Attitudes
  9. ^ a b "Heckington, St Andrew, Chancel, Richard de Potesgrave, Chalice". Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. June 20, 2022. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  10. ^ a b "Medieval stained glass returns to Heckington church". www.bbc.com. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-12-12.

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