The small
Village of Lowthorpe is scattered across quiet an area due to its
remoteness, elegant houses and farm buildings appear along the
quiet country road off the A166.
During the 1900’s
there was a railway station here which was a hive of activity.
Post would be dropped off by the mail train at 7am every morning
and then taken by horse and cart to the post office in the
village. From there it would be taken by post men on bicycles to
the outlying villages. They would return with outgoing mail which
was put on the 6:20pm train bound for Hull.
The railway
station closed many years ago and trains no longer stop at
Lowthorpe, buildings once used for storage have now been renovated
and are private residences, the old post office is now also a
private house. Automatic barriers nowadays police the crossing
St
Martin’s Church stands behind high conifers, which have grown
tall over the years giving it a dark and gloomy appearance as you,
walk up the path towards it. It is believed to have been built in
1333, when the church was made collegiate by Sir John de Heslerton
and housed six chaplains and three clerks. The college survived
until its dissolution in 1579, when it declined in status to a
Parish Church.
The chancel now is open to the skies but
the church remains supported and used today. There is a strange
family tomb on the left as you enter the church, which depicts a
man and a woman in flowing robes. A tree appears to grow over them
and from the branches of the trees are thirteen children’s
heads, seven on the mans side, six on the women’s side. The
tomb is thought to represent Sir John Heslerton who originated
from near by Rudston Parva and is believed to date back to the 14th
Century.
The Church inside is very simple and has a
high, wood beamed ceiling. The simplicity echoes the simple and
peaceful life in this area of the Wolds.
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