The beautiful countryside around South Stoke includes large flocks of sheep surrounded by the woods of Stoke and of Easton.

St. Mary and St. Andrew at South Stoke, an ancient church, situated on the side of a hill in a valley formed by the Cringle steam, dates back to before William the Conqueror.

The tower is similar to Saxon towers of North Lincolnshire, its recessed window on the south side
(not seen in this photo) and masonry work indicate pre-11th century age.

Small side door but the builders took time and effort to make it a thing of beauty.

In Loving Memory of ALFRED ROWE BELLAMY Freeman of Grantham, 2nd Son of the Revd. J. Bellamy, born Laxey I.O.M. [Isle of Man] 13th June 1862, died Grantham 16th July 1945, and of
ISABELLA BURNET BELLAMY, dau. of Jas. Smith of Montrose, for 45 years his devoted & loved wife, born Birkenhead 25th Septr 1876, died 19th July 1949,
also of his dearly loved son, Maj. HUGH MAURICE BELLAMY DSO, who served through the war 1914-1918, died at Calcutta 13th September 1923.
Until the day dawn, The shadows flee away.

"On entering the church we are at once struck by the massive pillars of the north arcade, each with its huge square abacus and scalloped capital. We are back at once to the period of the Norman Conquest. The opposite arcade on the south side would seem to be a centry later - the pillars are more lofty and slender, and the capitals are foliated."

On the far left is the ornate baptismal cover, on the north wall is the entrance and memorials to the Turner family, dating from the 17th century.

The very ornate cover for the baptismal font was created in the early 1900's. The paintings depict the various stages of the childhood of Jesus Christ, from The Annuciation, the visit of the magis, learning to walk, learning to read, to his parents finding him at the temple at age 12 "going about his Father's work."

Top left, the boy Jesus learns to pray at his mother's knee, on the left, his cousin, John the Baptist, helps Jesus with the lachet on his sandal. On the bottom left, the baby Jesus is presented at the temple, on the right, Joseph takes Mary and Jesus and flees for safety to Egypt.

"In the north chapel is a recessed altar tomb under a folliated arch - its history is unknown - and there are also curious recumbent stone effigies of a knight and his lady; the figures are partly covered with what seems to represent a large cloak; the whole is much worn by weather, as it seems to have lain neglected out of doors til placed in the chapel a century ago. It is commonly supposed to represent Sir John de Nevil who held Stoke in the days of Edward II., and his lady."

"The top storey, with its plain two-light windows, divided by an ornamented baluster and enclosed in round arches, together with the key-pattern string course below the windows, suggest the transition period, about 1190, when Norman was feeling its way to Early-English."

Leaving by the pathway through the trees on the north side.