St Mary's Church, Lead

I've lost count of the number of times we've passed by this church, standing alone in the middle of a field adjacent to the B1217, and wondered what its story was.

St Mary's Church is in the hamlet of Lead, less than a mile away from the village of Saxton in North Yorkshire. A redundant Anglican chapel, it's generally referred to as a church.

The chapel stands very close to the site of the Battle of Towton which took place in 1461, part of the Wars of the Roses. I've written about this a couple of times when we've visited various places associated with the battle, A History Tour In Four Parts and Towton Battlefield Trail. You can enlarge the information board above by clicking on it, it gives a little more information and shows the points of interest.

On Tuesday, we decided to finally take a look at the church. It's less than five miles from where we live yet it's taken us all this time to take a closer look.

We wasn't sure if the church would be unlocked as it's suffered from some vandalism in the last couple of months. Vases have been smashed, the cross broken and litter strewn everywhere. To add insult to injury, a note was left apologising with a fake phone number. What's wrong with people? This church was saved from neglect back in the 1930s by a local group of ramblers and has since been known as The Ramblers Church.

The tiny church is only 18 foot long and has a simple interior. The benches date possibly from the medieval period.

The chapel is believed to date from the 14th century, though there may have been an earlier church on the site. After being rescued by the group of ramblers back in the 1930s, repairs have been recorded on the back of the church door. This door is now in a poor state of repair and funds have recently been raised for it to be renovated. A temporary door will be installed while the work is carried out.

The cross stands on the altar.

Tombstones near the altar.

The font. I wonder how many babies have been Christened here.

You can read more about the church by clicking the photo above and reading the information board.

There is a bellcote at the west end of the church. St Mary's is looked after by a group called the Friends of Lead Church and there is an annual service.

Looking back towards the road, you can see how remote this little church is.

By the roadside is the Crooked Billet. We didn't pop in on this occasion but if you're partial to Yorkshire Pudding, this is the place to be as it's famous for its Giant Yorkshire Puddings with a choice of fillings.

I'm really pleased that we've finally visited the church at Lead, and it just goes to show that there's always something new to discover on your own doorstep, you don't have to travel very far for an interesting afternoon out.