St Paul’s Church, Morton.
We celebrate all that is good in our community
We are a friendly and growing congregation drawn mainly drawn from the north end of Gainsborough and the village of Morton. We have strong links with the local uniformed organisations including the Scouts and Guides and are very pleased that a significant number of children from the local area are baptized here each year. There are also an increasing number of couples who choose to be married here each year too.
We have a beautiful Grade II* listed building that has many examples of work that was carried out in the William Morris studios, including a number of Burne-Jones stained glass windows. We also host a regular programme of concerts throughout the year.
We look forward to welcoming you to our church.
Our Worship
9 am Service (except 1st Sunday of the month when we join the congregation at All Saints for Team Eucharist)
Our services are Eucharistic, apart from the 3rd Sunday of the month, which is a service of the Word.
About our Building
St Paul’s is a Grade 2* listed building, completed in 1891.
In the 1840′s, the vicar of Gainsborough wrote of a “most oppresive weight of responsibility” in having Morton and East Stockwith in his parish. To relieve himself of that responsibility, he opened a subscription list towards the building of churches within those two districts. A site for a church at Morton was given by Sir Henry Bacon Hickman Esq. Lord of the manor of Gainsborough and building commenced on 1st May 1845. On 3rd July 1846 the church of St Paul was consecrated.
On 19th December 1846, the church was assigned a particular district and henceforth legally, Morton became an ecclesiastical parish; and from 1st january 1847, kept it’s own registers.
During the 1880′s, the vicar of Morton complained that on a particular Easter Sunday there were 500+ communicants; too many for the size of the church “which stank!”
Eventually in 1890, a public meeting was held and it was decided to enlarge the church. Due to the munificence of Sir Hickman Bacon, premier Baronet of England (and the local squire), the present day magnificent church was completed in 1891.
Designed by Messrs. J.T.Micklethwaite & Somers Clarke of Westminster, it has a nave, a chancel and a side chapel dedicated to St Hugh of Lincoln. Described as one of the loveliest churches in Lincolnshire; a gem of a Victorian church; it boasts a font of Frosterly marble with a beautiful carved canopy lifted by pulleys. The organ is by Augustus Gern, built to his invention of a tubular action for organ building. The organ case is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship, gilded and painted in green and red; it is mentioned in “The British Organ” by C Clutton & A Nilard. In the Chancel is a William Morris carpet, while there are 10 stained glass windows designed by Burne-Jones and executed in the William Morris studios.