Stamford was the first designated conservation area in
England and since its designation in  1967
the whole of the old town and St Martins has thus become an area
of outstanding architectural or historic interest that is of national
importance. Within this area there are over 600 buildings classed
as Grade II and as being of special architectural or historic interest,
while 100 of these are Grade II*, being of particular importance.
There are also eight ancient monuments in and around the town on
either side of the Welland.
The existing street pattern has essentially stayed the same since
Saxon times, with Medieval and Georgian buildings now predominating.
Essentially, Stamford is a town for people to admire on foot, freely
and safely - many narrow pedestrian ways have survived - and unexpected
open spaces have been retained. Many of the historic buildings have
been restored and repaired with the aid of financial grants.
Of the towns 14 original churches, five Mediaeval ones still survive.
All are close together around the centre of town, but only All Saints
and St Martins are normally left unlocked.
All Saints Church, on the north side of Red Lion Square is mentioned
in the Domesday Book (1086). Principally Early English with restoration
by John and William Browne in the 15th century. Of interest are
the vaulted porch and a series of brasses to the aforementioned
Browne family.
St Georges Church in St Georges Square is possibly of very early
origin (11th century), but was rebuilt in 1449 by William de Bruges,
first Garter King of Arms as the chapel of the Knights of the Garter.
It has several monuments of interest as well as a collection of
garter panes in the north chancel window (15th century).
At the south east corner of Red Lion Square is the Church of St
John the Baptist, a complete, mid 15th century perpendicular building
with splendid carved angels in the roof of the same period. Ancient
glass is seen in several windows as well as brasses and carved screens
on north and south sides of the chancel.
St Martin’s Church across the river in High Street, is a stately
late 15th century perpendicular building on an older site. Monuments
to the Cecil family include the fine Renaissance monument to the
first Lord Burghley, William Cecil, who died in 1598. The church
has fine glass, some of it unique.
St Mary’s Church at the top of St Mary’s Hill above
the Town Hall, is the town’s ‘mother’ church with
a very fine broach spire of the 14th century.
St Michael’s Church in the High Street, a disused church of
1836 on the site of a 12th century predecessor, has now been converted
into three shops.
On the north side of Broad Street is BROWNE’S
HOSPITAL, an extremely interesting 15th century
building built by William Browne, a wealthy Stamford wool merchant,
who was six times an alderman and who died in 1489. The hospital
was built for ten poor men and two women with a Warden and Chaplain.
It then consisted of a common room divided into cubicles with an
Audit Room above, a chapel and other buildings around a courtyard.
Altered and enlarged in 1870 and later modernised in 1963-64, the
hospital now has six double and five single rooms. The chapel retains
a fine screen, original pews and a pre-Reformation altar slab and
there is rather fine 15th century glass both here and in the Audit
Room. The whole building, set so charmingly around its quiet courtyards,
is full of human and architectural interest. Browne’s Hospital
is open from 11am until 4pm between May until the end of September
on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank holidays.
There are eight ancient monuments in and around Stamford. Amongst
these are an arch, part of a 12th century town house on St Mary’s
Hill, whilst another is a 13th century bastion that is the only
surviving relic of the old town wall. Outside the wall to the east
is the fine Greyfriars gateway that was erected in 1350. Also of
interest, is St Leonards Priory which was the earliest of the town’s
monastic buildings. It was erected for Benedictine monks and the
imposing west front still remains.
STAMFORD SCHOOL dates
from 1532 and is now part of Stamford Endowed Schools. The Norman
and Early English St Paul’s Church remains on the site. Also
worth seeing is the Brasenose Knocker, a copy of that brought by
Oxford students from their Oxford College in 1333 and now returned
there.
On St Mary’s Hill is the 18th century TOWN
HALL where the town’s civic plate and regalia
are kept. As well as these items, some of which date back to the
15th century, the Town Hall also contains the Mayor’s parlour,
the court room (now largely used for civic receptions) and the Phillips
Room which is named after a former mayor and local brewer.
Close to the bridge, on the south side of the River Welland, is
the GEORGE HOTEL whose
famous inn sign spans the former Great North Road. This site has
been catering for travellers since the days when the resident Knights
of St John of Jerusalem cared for pilgrims passing through the town.
In Broad Street is the STAMFORD MUSEUM
which is housed in the former technical school that was built in
1894. It is devoted to local history and its displays include Stamford
ware pottery which was internationally noted from the 9th to the
13th centuries and was one of the first glazed ceramic wares in
northern Europe since the Roman times. Also popular are the exhibits
devoted to Daniel Lambert and Tom Thumb, the largest and smallest
men of their time. The museum possesses the set of clothes actually
worn by Lambert when he died, weighing 52 stone 11 pounds. So impressed
was the American dwarf ‘Tom Thumb’ when he visited Stamford
that he left a suit of his own clothes to be displayed beside those
of Lambert - replicas can be seen on life like models. The museum
is open from 10am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday throughout the
year and also from 1pm to 4pm on Sundays, from April until the end
of September.
Like many other country towns, Stamford once had several breweries
and reminders of this trade are found in ALL
SAINTS BREWERY which is located in All Saints Street.
Here can be seen a complete steam-operated brewery from the Victorian
period complete with all its equipment and fittings. Tours can be
booked.
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