The church of Holy Rood, Ossington, is the featured church for May 2022. The small estate village of Ossington is located 11 km north-west of Newark-on-Trent.
The church is located a short distance from the village and is surrounded by trees. The early Georgian Ossington Hall was its neighbour until 1963 when the house was demolished.
Holy Rood was built in 1782-4 and designed by John Carr. It replaced a medieval church on the same site and was built by Robert Denison, a successful cloth merchant from Leeds, as a monument to his brother, William. The church consists of a west tower of three stages with a circular lantern crowned by a small dome, nave and chancel under a continuous roof and vestry and porch to the south.
There are many monuments inside the building to the Cartwrights and Denisons. Two fine statues to Robert and William Denison by the sculptor Joseph Nollekens are situated at the west end. There is also a tomb chest to Reynald Peckham (died 1551) and his wife with tracery and shields and fine brasses.
Further information on the church is available on the Southwell & Nottingham Church History Project website: https://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/ossington/hintro.php