​Grimoldby ‘angels’ to fly into Louth Museum

​The Angels from the Realms of Grimoldby are set to fly into Louth Museum, and visitors will have this rare opportunity to see two of these angels up close.

The nine 15th century roof angels, each carved from one single piece of oak, were situated on the roof of St Edith’s Church, and are unusual in that they depict the dragon-fighting angels as described in Revelation 12:7-9:

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

"But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.”

These types of angels first became popular in the 1390s and not many examples remain, and these from Grimoldby have survived wet and dry rot, as well as as a death-watch beetle infestation.

These nine angels lived on the roof of St Edith’s Church and are among the few medieval roof angels to survive in Lincolnshire as many were destroyed during the 16th century Reformation when Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church as they were seen as “idols”.

Eight of the angels have been in the care of the University of Lincoln for restoration, with the ninth angel remaining on the roof as it is too damaged to be removed, and St Edith’s Church have given permission for the angels to put on display at Louth Museum.

Chair of the volunteers at the museum, Lynda Payne, said: “We’re very privileged to have these angels and we think they will attract lots of visitors because they’re quite rare and so old, and it’s remarkable to think how they’ve survived.”

Visitors to the museum can see the angels in all their glory from April 2024. Visit https://www.louthmuseum.org.uk/ to find out more.

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