The Church
Built largely in the C14th this beautiful medieval Grade I listed church is looked after by The Churches Conservation Trust.
The church consists of an aisled nave with chancel, west tower and south porch. The oldest parts of the church are the C13th nave arcades. Most of the church is built of the local ironstone, with the tower in Lincolnshire limestone.
Interior restoration in the C19th did not result in major rebuilding except for the south porch, and exceptional carved work of the font and reredos by the Rev. Thorold of Stainsby, Lincolnshire. Over the chancel arch is a Royal Coat of Arms from the earlier part of the reign of George III.
Our Work
A maternity colony of Natterer's bats roosts in the church in the summer months. Brown long-eared bats are also known to roost inside St Mary's.
The bats cause a significant amount of mess inside the church, especially over the summer during the bat breeding season.
The CCT worked with the Bats in Churches project to find ways of engaging people and volunteers to help make the church more presentable to visitors, and to run bat-related training and other events in conjunction with the Leicestershire and Rutland Bat Group.
In July 2022 the church hosted a training event for Natural England Volunteer Bat Roost Visitors, in conjunction with St Mary, Freeby and St Andrew, Coston.
The Bats in Churches project designed a bespoke interpretation board about the bats at St Mary's.
Garthorpe Case Study Poster
Upcoming events
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit their page on A Church Near You