Binbrook Church ~ St Mary and Gabriel
Mooching around Lincolnshire saw me in the Wolds village of Binbrook and Saint Mary and Gabriel Church.
Here are some pictures and the historical background behind the building
My first impression of the church was one of disbelief - the approach being marred by a modern bungalow (see second picture)
I’m getting used to so many churches having their aspects spoiled by ridiculously placed trees and bushes etc but quite how planning permission gets through for something like this quite escapes me.
The picture on the left is of an old and worn cross which caught my eye, I’m not sure whether it has any special significance or history as I’ve not been able to find anything out about it - but it looks as though it ought to have even if it does not (are you still following me ? ).
Binbrook originally had two churches in very close proximity, St Gabriel and St Mary, but by 1840 the former was virtually derelict and the latter was looking non too clever either.
The two parishes were finally amalgamated and this church was built by Fowler and consecrated in 1869.
There is a particularly nice modern stained glas window which is related to the Royal Air Force which had a base in the village for many years.
It’s an impressive building and to my eye gave the appearance of greater age.
The site is certainly historic though with Parish Registers going back to 1600 and the village is listed in the Domesday Book under the name Binnibroc which apparently means “place enclosed by the brook” according to Genuki.
It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area, as is the village itself, it makes a great starting point for some fabulous walks in the Lincolnshire Wolds - you’d be mad not to do it - mad I tell ye !
St Mary and St Gabriel + Bungalow !
There’s only 5,000 odd acres of fields around the village hence the pressure on building plots 
Binbrook Church
If you’ve any more information about the church (not copied and pasted from other sites please) or if you’ve visited yourself please feel free to share by leaving a comment.
All the best
Rod
See also Orford Priory
See Our Complete List Of Churches in Lincolnshire
Donald said,
September 9, 2009 @ 10:56 am
Hi Rod,
I was interested to read of your visit to St Mary and St Gabriel in Binbrook.
I too visited Binbrook, from Australia, in 2005, and was unable to enter this fine looking church. There is a roll book inside which apparently lists the fallen from RAF Binbrook, including those from RAAF 460 Squadron (Lancasters).
As for that bungalow…ye gods!
Best Wishes,
Donald.
Rod said,
September 9, 2009 @ 7:17 pm
Hi Donald,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site - many thanks also for the extremely poignant link !
All the best from England
Rod
Don Roberts said,
October 8, 2010 @ 9:01 pm
Hi Rod. Im Don Roberts, born 17 May 1946 in Liverpool UK and I now live in Tirau New Zealand. I have been in NZ since 1972. Great to find this site and thank you for putting it up. I note that the original St Gabrials no longer exists in Binbrook.
I have been doing my Geneology for many years and now find that my Great Great Great Grandparents were from Binbrook and were married in St Gabrials Binbrook on 24 November 1800. They were William Hill and (I believe) Elizabeth Aubon, who would have been born around 1780. They had a Daughter Eleanor Hill who was Christened in St Gabrials on 13 August 1817. I think also they had a Son in 1825 named Green. I have not fully completed my “Binbrook Geneology” and the name Elizabeth Aubon has not as yet been fully confirmed, but is from IGI and Family Search in geneology..
Eleanor Hill must have moved from Binbrook to the Tuebrook area of Liverpool, as she married my Great Great Grandfather William Roberts, from Denbeighshire, at St Nicholas’s Church Pier Head Liverpool on 15 April 1838 and she is shown as living in Tuebrook (still part of Liverpool).
There is possibly a Family name “Melson” connected with either William Hill or Elizabeth Aubon, as one of Elizabeth Roberts’s (Aubon’s) children is named Melson Hill Roberts (although of course it could be Nelson) They had William, Meson, Elizabeth, Thomas (my Great Grandfather) and Ellen between 1841 & 1851. They lived in Fontenoy Street in the centre of Liverpool between 1851 and 1871.
Anyway…..I was pleased to see the site and get the information, and also to Google Earth Binbrook, but I cant find the Church!
Many thanks for the site Rod.
Best wishes……Don Roberts
Rod said,
October 9, 2010 @ 9:13 am
Hi Don,
thanks for the kind words and welcome to the site - best of luck with your research
All the best
Rod
Peter Mullins said,
October 10, 2010 @ 5:39 pm
Don, if you try multimap.com, enter Binbrook, select ‘ariel’, and zoom in a bit, then you’ll find the site of St Gabriel’s north east of the point on which the map centres; it is the green space on the north side of Grimsby Road. What the ariel view doesn’t show is that the site is a short climb above the road, so when I just tried Google’s Street View all I could see was the trees along the south bank of the church site. The base of one pillar is visible when you visit the site, but that is all.
DavidE said,
July 10, 2011 @ 2:24 pm
Visited Binbrook recently, as Peter states, the Site of St Gabriel’s church is still visible on the north side of Grimsby Road and the current church was built on the site of St Mary’s.