St Mary, Great Melton

The population of Great Melton is tiny, and scattered widely over its large parish. In the churchyard there were once two churches, but it is All Saints that is now home to the local Anglican community, while the stark shell of St Mary's tower is all that remains of the other.

In fact, until the 1880s, it was St Mary that was in use, while All Saints was almost derelict. However, the Anglican revival here encouraged the parish to restore the fortunes of its church by rebuilding All Saints on a grand scale and demolishing St Mary for materials. The 15th Century tower that was left is so similar to that of All Saints, which survives from the earlier church there, that they may well have been built at the same time.

Because St Mary is in the churchyard, the parish remains responsible for the ruin's upkeep, and this is obviously a drain on their resources that they would rather not have. About twenty years ago I was talking to one of the Great Melton churchwardens who told me that every time there was a storm she prayed that it would bring the tower crashing down and be done with it. While sympathising, I was pleased (and a bit relieved I must admit) that when I revisited in July 2021 I found that this had not happened, and if anything the ruin seemed to be in better condition than it had been twenty years earlier.

Simon Knott, July 2021

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