| Parish/District | Silk Willoughby/North Kesteven |
| Location | in a paved area on the south west side of the junction of London Road and School Lane. |
| Category | Village cross |
| National Grid Ref | TF 05647 42966 |
| Designation | Scheduled / Listed II* |
| Stone Type | Limestone |
| Refs | AP Survey: 3 Dec 1993; Davies, D S, 1913, Lincs N & Q, Vol XII No.5, p.146 |
| Visits | AP: 3 Dec 1993 | DS/HH: 5 July 2011 |
Silk Willoughby village cross is located on the west side of the main street of the village (London Road) at the junction with School Lane. It shares the spot with a later village pump. It is a very fine cross with carvings of the symbols of the evangelists on the four sides of the socket stone. All commentators note its excellence and the perils of its location – from vehicles, vandals and erosion – yet still it stands, ever more battered and worn as the years pass. Comparison of the historic photographs (below) with more up to date versions bears witness to the deterioration. In 1997, we commissioned artist David Hopkins to make a record of the four scenes as they then survived (see drawings below).
The cross is mentioned in White’s 1856 Directory and also by Revd Trollope in 1872 with an accompanying drawing of the north west side.
Davies recorded the cross c.1913 noting: ‘much too near to the traffic . . . This deserves a better place’. He records that the cross stands on two modern steps – these are visible on early photographs and it is presumed that they are still there, buried beneath the modern tarmac.
The socket-stone is c.0.93m square at ground level and stands to a height of about 0.58m. The corners are chamfered above and below so that the top of the stone is roughly octagonal in section. The four principal sides are carved with the symbols of the four evangelists in deep relief: on the south east face, a man (St Matthew); on the north east, a winged lion (St Mark); on the south west, a winged ox (St Luke); and on the north west, an eagle (St John). The corners are carved with further animal figures now damaged and eroded beyond any interpretation. The top surface of the socket stone has a pattern of small holes on the south side – possibly where railings have been fixed. At the time of our visit (July 2011) there was some recent repointing work visible around the base of the socket stone and in other damaged areas.
The shaft rises from the centre of the socket-stone. It is rectangular (0.42m x 0.34m) at the base rising through chamfered and decorated corners to a tapered octagonal section. The top of the stone is mainly flat and it is damaged (a chunk missing) on the eastern side. The full surviving height of the shaft is approximately 1.37m.
Historic photographs from the early 20th century show the carvings in better condition than today – the winged ox in the (oddly) posed photograph on the left, and the winged lion in the postcard below.
