The church of St Peter at Stanton Lacy in the South Shropshire countryside is well-known for its beautiful carpet of snowdrops which adorn its churchyard at this time of year. So, as I was in the area a couple of weeks ago, I decided to call by and take some photos.
The snowdrops really do cover the churchyard. They’re everywhere! Such a beautiful sight to see and well worth a visit.
Stanton Lacy church also has some interesting architectural features, including these two canopied tomb recesses. It is said that when one of the tombs was opened in the mid-19th century a large skeleton was found, rumoured to be Edmund de Mortimer who died 1331/2.
Unfortunately for Stanton Lacy church, it’s not just its snowdrops it’s well-known for… Reverend Robert Foulkes, a vicar of Stanton Lacy in the 17th century, set off a chain of events which ended in his hanging for murder at Tyburn in 1679. You can read more about it in The Temptation & Downfall of the Vicar of Stanton Lacy by Peter Klein.
If you’d like to visit Stanton Lacy Church, you can find it a short distance from the A49 near Ludlow (go through Ludlow Racecourse and turn right at the signpost).
Snowdrops look at their best when seen en masse like this. The church sounds like an interesting place to visit.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a canopied recess like that. Fascinating! The snowdrops are beautiful, too… especially in such number!
I love that you have so much history right there where you are. We just don’t have that in my part of the world.
What lovely lovely signs of spring.
It’s stunning. I love snowdrops, they are so delicate and pretty.
The snowdrops are delightful. I keep meaning to go to Attingham Park to see the display there.
I keep meaning to go back to Attingham Park too. Actually, there’s a few National Trust places I want to go to at the moment.
Fascinating history and stunning snowdrops!
The snowdrops are stunning. There’s something so pretty and peaceful about churches and their gardens.
Corinne x
These are beautiful! I’ve been mainly hiding indoors this winter, but now I feel bad about all the snowdrops I’ve missed!
Reverend Robert Foulkes sounds like quite a piece of work doesn’t he?
The short, potted resume about him on Wikipedia, where he is referred to as a “Clergyman and murderer”, doesn’t even begin to describe his depravity adequately and what he is reported to have spoken as his final words from the gallows, is probably very apt …
“From the scaffold, Foulkes addressed the crowd: ‘You may in me see what sin is, and what it will end in.'”
I have never ventured into this part of the country, but I do love these old stories and visiting such beautifully tucked away little churches, so this is defintely on my wish list – but only when the snowdrops are in such abundance and photograph so amazingly.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yvonne