Parish/District | Allington/South Kesteven |
Location | Allington Village Green (now more of a traffic island) |
Category | Village cross |
National Grid Ref | SK 85680 40219 |
Designation | Scheduled / Listed II |
Stone Type | Limestone (mostly) |
Refs | AP survey 10 Dec 1993; Davies, D. S.,1913, Lincs N & Q, vol XII No 5, p.132; LAO, Nattes drawing of 1805; White’s Directory, 1856, p.69; |
Visits | AP: 10 Dec 1993 | DS/HH: 10 Mar 2006 |
Jean Claud Nattes drew the remains of the village cross at Allington in 1805, complete with stocks and an adjacent stream; it has three steps and a socket stone surviving (see below). By the time that Davies recorded it in 1913 (Davies 1913 p.132), the stream had been rerouted and Allington Cross had been so extensively restored, that he comments ‘It does not appear to be a very ancient one, the angles are sharp and even, but it is not a modern cross’. From Nattes drawing, it is hard to see just what of the medieval original survives in the restoration. The three steps are completely new, as is the shaft and cross-head. Possibly only the lower part of the socket stone, suitably refaced, is original; it is octagonal with stops on four corners.
Postcard views of the cross from c.1915 suggest the shaft and the cross-head have been modified (i.e. shortened) in recent times and a plinth has been built up around the lower step partially obscuring it. The scheduling description suggests that ‘the knop and lower part of the shaft are 19th century in date, while the head and upper part of the shaft are 20th century…’. The railings have also been replaced – perhaps as a result of wartime salvage activities.
The main dimensions of the restored cross are given in Alison’s scheduling report: The foundation includes a platform of concrete slabs up to 0.3m in height and covering an area approximately 3.3m square. The base includes three steps, the lowest approximately 2.15m square, the second 1.5m square and the third 0.88m square; all three are chamfered. On the top step stands the socket-stone, composed of two slabs: the lower is 0.6m square in section at the base rising in octagonal section through chamfered corners; the upper is also octagonal in section and is moulded above into the shaft-base. The full height of the socket-stone is about 0.6m. Set into the middle of the socket-stone is the shaft, composed of five stones of tapering octagonal section. The knop is of octagonal section, and the head takes the form of a simple crucifix. The knop and lower part of the shaft are 19th century in date, while the head and upper part of the shaft are 20th century in date. The full height of the cross is nearly 4m.
Allington Cross today appears over-restored, imprisoned behind its railings and alienated from its community.