Walesby, Lincolnshire

Walesby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 249. It lies in the Lincolnshire Wolds, 3 miles (5 km) north-east from Market Rasen and 7 miles (11 km) south from Caistor. Tealby parish lies to the south-east. The parish covers about 3,600 acres (15 km2) and includes the hamlets of Risby and Otby. The name 'Walesby' is thought to mean 'farm/settlement of Valr' or another suggestion is 'farm/settlement of the Britons'. St Mary's is an Arts and Crafts style church designed by the architect Temple Moore in 1913. It is a Grade II* listed building. The church was temporarily closed after the 2008 Market Rasen earthquake when a large crack appeared in the tower and masonry fell inside the church. St Mary's was also damaged in the 1930s when a hurricane dislodged its 'candle snuffer' spire resulting in its eventual removal. In the 1930s an earlier church, All Saints', was renovated after it fell into disuse. It is Grade I listed. Now known as the 'Ramblers Church', in its south aisle it features a stained-glass window of 1950, financed by the Grimsby and District Wayfarers Association, showing a central figure of Christ, with hikers with haversacks on the left and cyclists on the right. The Viking Way long-distance route passes close to All Saints'.