St Peter and St Paul’s
Burgh-le-Marsh
Welcome to our Church
Welcome to the Parish Church of Saint Peter & Saint Paul, Burgh-le-Marsh. Whichever way you approach the town our Parish Church stands proudly for all to see. It is a witness to the Almighty God, present and alive with us today.
Domesday Book records that there was a Church in Burgh. The present church was built around the turn of the sixteenth century. The earlier church was dedicated St. Mary and was still in use after the building of this one. The site is uncertain, but probably to the west, near the mill – now a private residence – near Wainfleet Rd.
The pagan symbol of the ‘Green Man’, with his face surrounded by foliage, was adopted by the Christian Church as a symbol of immortal life. In the wooden roof of our nave, no fewer than 11 such heads can be seen as bosses.
This was a time of great religious fervour and a time when the town was growing in prosperity and local importance. Mediaeval churches were adorned with colourful paintwork, some scraps and faint dye marks of which can still be found on the pillars and arches of the nave.
In 1389 men from Burgh went on pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James of Compostella in Spain. On their return journey they experienced a tremendous storm at sea. They vowed that if they were spared and returned home safely they would build an altar dedicated to St James. They fulfilled this vow and the shrine was erected in the middle bay of the nave. It was subsequently removed [probably at the Reformation] and the building of the south aisle and south porch, which is now used as the Rector’s vestry.
I hope you will enjoy your visit, and remember that this is not a museum to the past, but a place of private prayer, and where worship takes place daily, the Sacraments are administered, and the Christian family gather to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
This Church is proud to have stood in the Anglo Catholic Tradition [High Church] for over 80 years and our furnishings reflect this.
Please remember us in your prayers.
Yours Sincerely,
The Rector
The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul’s
Find out about the history and features of our living church, from its stained glass to the green men.
Regular services
You are very welcome to join us in our worship as follows:
Sunday
9.30am Sung Eucharist and Junior Church [except for the 5th Sunday in the month, when there is a Group Eucharist in one of the 5 churches in Benefice]
6pm Sung Evensong & Sermon [Book of Common Prayer]
Thursday
9am Said Eucharist [BCP]
The town of Burgh-le-Marsh
Its origins can be traced back to at least the Roman period. A Roman road from the north west passes through the town and out toward Skegness.
St Paul’s Missionary College
In 1877, the Revd J. H. Jowett acquired the school buildings for the purpose of founding St Paul’s Mission House, a missionary training college which acted as a feeder to St. Augustine’s, Canterbury.