Lincolnshire : Grimsby Minster; St James

A church building had existed on this site since 1114, but it was rebuilt and developed over the centuries.  As it stands, this particular building, which is Grade 1 listed, dates from about 1230AD. This is undoubtedly a church of the people. I could " feel it " as I walked about.  The dreadful bomb damage did not diminish this solid spirit in stone and it was rebuilt. 

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln and Bishop of Grimsby presided at the service where it was designated as a Minster. 

St James was badly damaged by bombs and a huge amount of work went into its restoration. A memorial plaque is below.

The cockle shells refer to the name of the Minster, St James being a fisherman and Grimsby being a fishing port. 

The Lady Chapel  is above.  The stained glass is beautiful.  It was built around 1905 on the site of an earlier chapel. 

Also in the Lady Chapel is a " Squint " as below. Opinions as to a " Squint's" purpose are mixed. Some feel that "The squint "  was for those who could not receive Communion, they could still see the Mass. In my humble opinion, I reckon a  "Squint "  is so the assistant priest could see what stage the Mass was up to. This was what our priests did when I was a child as our  RC church had a little window for this purpose.  The Minster was Catholic originally. St James- Grimsby Minster is now Church of England.

Imagine having your baby Baptised in a font aged hundreds of years old. The font stands close to the entrance.  In that area, I felt all the emotions absorbed by the stone in this location. One pillar, in particular, radiated a strong feeling for me. The Font is the oldest artefact in the Minster.

The Remembrance Walls are a particularly popular and well-visited site in Grimsby Minster. They are beautifully set out and respectfully appointed. Here below is one of them. 

There is a memorial also to Bermudan soldiers who were stationed in Grimsby in The Great War 1914 - 1918.

This window below appealed to me. It is a Nativity scene with Mary and Jesus on her knee. The Wise men are in attendance. But in the background is a medieval castle ....  Castles ! which were about 1200 years later than the Nativity and as Rev Teena commented, Mary is on a throne - supposedly in a stable! This style was prevalent in Medieval Art.

I have added two photos here as they show beautifully the excellent workmanship in the medieval arches. All these were done without our modern tools too! 

The Grimsby imp refers to a myth that Satan sent an imp to cause havoc in Grimsby. God sent an angel who turned it stone. It is remembered in one tiny top corner of the Minster. Or maybe just a little gargoyle?

The Bell tower houses a clock which was installed for Queen Victoria's 60th jubilee in 1897!

This once thriving fishing town might not be on people's usual list of visits when they come to England. Think again! Grimsby has some very interesting places and the Minster is probably the best of them.

Give Grimsby Minster a visit next time you are in the area!