St Mary Church, Lastingham

The Green
Apr 20
1 min read

There’s a quiet moment in Lastingham that always seems to stay with you…

If you do one thing while you’re here, I always think it should be stepping inside St Mary’s Church.

It’s beautiful in its own right above ground — simple, peaceful, and full of character. But it’s what lies beneath that makes it feel truly special.

A few steps down, and you find yourself in a small stone crypt dating back to the 7th century, built at the time of St Cedd’s monastery.

It’s quiet in a way that’s hard to describe… the kind of place where you naturally lower your voice without even thinking. Standing there, you realise people have been coming to this exact spot for well over a thousand years.

It’s not grand or dramatic — and that’s exactly why it feels so real.

It would be easy to walk past and never know it’s there, but if you take a moment to step inside, it’s one of those small experiences that tends to stay with you long after you’ve left.

And somehow, when you wander back through the village afterwards, everything feels just a little bit more connected.