Fire damage: St George's,
Goltho, in Lincolnshire, a Grade II listed church, was destroyed in
a blaze in the early hours of Monday morning
(above). Four fire crews were called to the nearly
500-year-old church, but were unable to save the roof and much of
the interior. A spokesman for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue
confirmed that the cause of the fire was being investigated.
The church, 11 miles east of
Lincoln, is used perhaps once a year, and stands about 400 yards
from the nearest road. It was built in about 1530 by the Grantham
family of Goltho Hall, and the chancel was added in about 1600.
There is no electricity in the church, which is open to the public
at all times.
The Churches Conservation Trust, which maintains the building,
said on Wednesday that the fire had resulted in "a tragic and
irreplaceable loss to our heritage and culture"