Spend a day in the company of Allan Barton, the Antiquary, exploring six of Lincolnshire’s most rewarding parish churches – places most visitors never find, let alone have properly explained to them.

This is a self-drive day tour: you will travel independently between stops by car, with Allan guiding you through each church in turn. Expect medieval wall paintings uncovered by a wartime bomb, a rood screen rescued and restored, and centuries of visitor graffiti scratched into porches and pews.

You will also take home a bespoke souvenir booklet with the day’s notes, plus a bookmark, to keep and revisit long after the tour.

Churches on the tour

• Ropsley – St Peter’s: Anglo-Saxon fabric and interesting graffiti.
• Corby Glen – St John the Evangelist: Medieval wall paintings uncovered beneath whitewash in 1939 and centuries of porch graffiti.
• Irnham – St Andrew’s: Fine monuments and a story or two of its own.
• Pickworth – St Andrew’s: Uncovered medieval wall paintings and a 15th-century rood screen.
• Walcot – St Nicholas: A fine 14th-century spire, Norman font and Green Man carving.
• Osbournby – St Peter & St Paul: A glorious set of medieval bench ends, finishing the day near the A15.

Tour details

• Date: Saturday 19 September 2026
• Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
• Format: Self-drive; guests travel independently by car between churches.
• Group size: Limited to 10 people, first-come, first-served.
• Price: £65 per person.
• Booking closes: Midnight on 18 September 2026, or earlier if all places are sold.

What is included

• Full-day guiding with Allan Barton.
• A route sheet with directions.
• A bespoke souvenir booklet with the day’s notes.
• A souvenir bookmark.
• An end-of-day drink and Q&A with Allan at the Whichcote Arms, Osbournby.

Lunch

Lunch is not included. Bring a packed lunch and eat in the car, or join Allan at the Griffin Inn in Irnham. Irene will contact the purchaser after booking to confirm the preferred option and, for those joining the pub lunch, the menu choices.

Church donations and travel fuel are not included.

After booking

You will receive the standard website order confirmation. Irene will then email the purchaser separately with the meeting point, parking and practical information for the day.

Cancellation policy

• A full refund is available when cancelling seven days or more before the tour.
• A 50% refund is available when cancelling less than seven days but more than 24 hours before the tour.
• No refund is available within 24 hours of the tour or on the day itself.
• If the tour is cancelled by the organiser, customers will receive a full refund.