Pictures of Greatford

About Greatford

Greatford is a small village a few miles to the south west of Bourne. It is quiet and peaceful here, although it is not far away from the A15. The visitor will notice immediately that the tower is not at the west end of the structure but is to be found just to the right of the south porch.Tthe bottom of the tower dates from the first half of the 13th Century. An addition was made half way through that century, with the top of the spire being added in the first quarter of the 14th Century. Much of the main body of the church dates from the 14th Century, but it is thought that a blocked doorway on the North wall is Norman, dating from 1080 - 1150 or thereabouts. More work was done here in the 17th century and the Victorians restored the church in 1854. A peal of five bells hang here, with some being of some age. The treble was cast by Taylor & Co of Loughborough, and is dated 1886. The second and tenor are both dated 1732 and were cast by Thomas Eayre of Kettering. Each have the Latin Inscripton "Omnia Fiant Ad Gloriam Dei" with the tenor also stating "Eayre Kettering Fecit Anno Dom 1732". The third bell is the oldest, being cast by Robert Newcombe of Leicester in 1593. The inscription on this reads "Praise The Lord". The fourth is dated 1787 and is courtesy of Edward Arnold of Leicester. The bells here became unsafe to ring for quite some time but all five bells were re-hung by Taylors of Loughborough and a service of thanksgiving and re-dedication took place in May 1988, with the first peal of the restored bells coming three weeks later. See Peterborough Churchcrawler for more details.