RYHALL. CHURCH : ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST

I visited Ryhall on a Saturday afternoon which had seen me already visit Witham On The Hill and Carlby in Lincolnshire and Essendine in Rutland. This was to be my final church visited on the day, and I had deliberately left what I thought would be the best until last, and this gem of a church was certainly that.

  In previous visits to Rutland, I had found the churches attractive, immaculately kept, open and welcoming. This was certainly the case here. The church grounds were particularly attractive, and I made a mental note to make a return visit next year at around Easter time, as several of the bushes in the church grounds had lost their blossom when I visited.

  Thise who visit this site regularly will probably know that I have a liking for stone grotesques. Some very fine ones here, loads of them in fact! Some bizarre ones as well, several being pictured below.

  Liked the porch very much. This was a two floor porch, with living quarters above. I read on the internet somewhere that this upper storey was once used as a schoolroom.

  As mentioned above, the church was open and inside it was spacious and bright. As with several other Rutland churches that I had visited, there were some delightful stained glass windows, with some very subtle and attractive colours.

  Visit finished and it was off to find the bus stop, reluctantly making my was to Bourne and then on to Peterborough. England's cricketers were doing battle against the West Indies, and Chelsea were playing Manchester United in the FA Cup Final. In past years I would have been riveted by both of these. Funny the changes in course that happen from time to time as your life progresses, and as I checked my photographs on the digital camera on the bus on the way home, I wouldn't have swapped my days churchcrawling, and the feeling of tranquility that went with it, for anything!