Showing posts with label yorkshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yorkshire. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
St George's Minster, Doncaster
The church was rebuilt after the mediaeval predecessor was burned down in 1853. It was rebuilt to designs by George Gilbert Scott - it is his largest town church. The tower is supposedly a replica of that lost in the fire, which dated from 1430; for the remainder Scott chose a robust Decorated style.
The impressively spacious interior has a cruciform layout, with big transepts, and aisles and clerestories to both nave and chancel. It is notable for excellent Victorian glass and a spectacular 5 manual organ by the renowned German organ builder Edmund Schulze (1824-1877). Other features of note include expansive encaustic tiled pavements in the chancel, an impressive marble font, and a huge stone pulpit with coloured marble columns.
St George's today fulfils the role of the town's civic church, and hosts concerts and other events. It is open every day for visits and private prayer, and has daily services and a Choral Eucharist on Sunday.
St George, Church Street, Doncaster DN1 1RD
Monday, 25 August 2014
Monday, 19 October 2009
St. Martin-Le-Grand Church, York
St Martin's is one of York's most notable landmarks, best-known for its impressive clock which hangs over Coney Street. But it has also had a tumultuous history, and contains one of York's most impressive mediaeval stained glass windows.
The church was one of one of York's largest and finest, prior to a fateful night in 1942, when an air raid reduced the church to a smouldering ruin. Before then, it boasted a large nave and chancel with full length aisles and chapels. The fabric dated from the 11th to the 15th centuries.
The well-known and large double-sided clock on Coney Street was fitted in 1668, and which was topped by a statue of the 'Little Admiral' in the 18th century.
The clock and statue survived the bombing, but little else did. The church was eventually rebuilt between 1961 and 1968, with the 15th century tower and south aisle becoming the church, and the remainder (most of the former nave and north aisle) becoming an enclosed garden of remembrance. Substantial parts of the north walls survive, however, including elements from the 11th century.
Although much smaller, the restored church is an attractive space, combining modern works with a 17th century memorial to Sir William Sheffield (d. 1633) and - above all - its mediaeval stained glass. This had fortunately been removed for safe keeping in 1940, and includes one gem: the window depicting the life and works of St Martin of Tours, dating from around 1440.
Formerly the west window, this is now in the new north wall and faces visitors as they enter. It is huge for a parish church (and is the largest in the city outside the Minster): 9m high and 4m wide, it is one of the best preserved of its type and contains no Victorian additions or repairs.
The church is normally open during weekdays for private prayer and visitors.
Coney Street, York, YO1 9QL
The church was one of one of York's largest and finest, prior to a fateful night in 1942, when an air raid reduced the church to a smouldering ruin. Before then, it boasted a large nave and chancel with full length aisles and chapels. The fabric dated from the 11th to the 15th centuries.
The well-known and large double-sided clock on Coney Street was fitted in 1668, and which was topped by a statue of the 'Little Admiral' in the 18th century.
The clock and statue survived the bombing, but little else did. The church was eventually rebuilt between 1961 and 1968, with the 15th century tower and south aisle becoming the church, and the remainder (most of the former nave and north aisle) becoming an enclosed garden of remembrance. Substantial parts of the north walls survive, however, including elements from the 11th century.
Although much smaller, the restored church is an attractive space, combining modern works with a 17th century memorial to Sir William Sheffield (d. 1633) and - above all - its mediaeval stained glass. This had fortunately been removed for safe keeping in 1940, and includes one gem: the window depicting the life and works of St Martin of Tours, dating from around 1440.
Formerly the west window, this is now in the new north wall and faces visitors as they enter. It is huge for a parish church (and is the largest in the city outside the Minster): 9m high and 4m wide, it is one of the best preserved of its type and contains no Victorian additions or repairs.
The church is normally open during weekdays for private prayer and visitors.
All Saints, North Street, York
If you visit just one church in York (aside from the Minster, I suppose), make it this one. This fascinating little church, tucked away on the rather less touristy west bank of the Ouse, has much to interest visitors and contains one of Britain's most impressive collections of mediaeval stained glass.
History
There has been a church here since at least the 11th century, probably predating the Norman invasion. In the 12th century, the single-cell church was expanded with aisles, some of which incorporated Roman columns from the original Roman settlement of Eboracum.
The chancel was reconstructed in the 13th century in the Early English style, but a major rebuilding in the 14th century saw the East End rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style, with the aisles extended to form a rectangular plan. Later in the same century, the tower and 120ft spire were built, and the fine chancel and aisle ceilings were added in the 15th century.
The church
On entering, the church has a slightly rustic and homely feel to it. With no crossing, the nave is divided from the chancel only by the rood screen, and the aisles run uninterrupted from east to west. The arcades are in the simplest Early Gothic style, with simple capitals. One of the original Roman columns can clearly be seen between the north aisle and chancel.
But the main event is unquestionably the stained glass: almost all of it is mediaeval, and of very high quality. There is simply too much to describe here in great detail, but there is more information available on the church's website. But essentially, the north and south aisles and east end contain windows which are complete or almost entirely complete in their original form, and date mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries.
The most famous are in the north aisle: first, the 'Corporal Acts of Mercy Window' shows a bearded man (who may be the donor, Nicholas Blackburn, a merchant and mayor of York), carrying out six of the seven bodily acts of mercy, ie feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, offering hospitality to strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and relieving those in prison. The final act (burying the dead) is omitted.
Next along in the aisle is the unique 'Pricke of Conscience' window, so named after a Middle English poem, written in the Northumbrian dialect, describing the last 15 days of the world. The panels depict the destruction of the world and the fate of humankind, each panel underscored with the relevant passage of the poem, and all intended to call people to repent. As you might expect, the images include some wonderful beasts, demons and devils, along with people in varying states of terror or torment. The families of the donors sit watching all this at the bottom of the window.
Finally, in the south aisle, look out for the bright and colourful 'Orders of Angels' window in the south aisle: in one of the lower panels is a man wearing a pair of very uncomfortable looking 15th century spectacles.
Other fittings of note include a fine 15th century memorial slab on the floor of the south aisle near the chancel arcade, and the imposing late 17th cetury pulpit. Don't forget to look up, either, to the chancel and aisle ceilings with their beautifully carved 15th century hammerbeams depicting angels and men of the church.
The church is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and Mass is said on Thursday at 12.45, and on Sundays at 12 noon and 17.30. The church is normally open for visitors in the middle of the day.
North Street, York, YO1 6JD
History
There has been a church here since at least the 11th century, probably predating the Norman invasion. In the 12th century, the single-cell church was expanded with aisles, some of which incorporated Roman columns from the original Roman settlement of Eboracum.
The chancel was reconstructed in the 13th century in the Early English style, but a major rebuilding in the 14th century saw the East End rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style, with the aisles extended to form a rectangular plan. Later in the same century, the tower and 120ft spire were built, and the fine chancel and aisle ceilings were added in the 15th century.
The church
On entering, the church has a slightly rustic and homely feel to it. With no crossing, the nave is divided from the chancel only by the rood screen, and the aisles run uninterrupted from east to west. The arcades are in the simplest Early Gothic style, with simple capitals. One of the original Roman columns can clearly be seen between the north aisle and chancel.
But the main event is unquestionably the stained glass: almost all of it is mediaeval, and of very high quality. There is simply too much to describe here in great detail, but there is more information available on the church's website. But essentially, the north and south aisles and east end contain windows which are complete or almost entirely complete in their original form, and date mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries.
The most famous are in the north aisle: first, the 'Corporal Acts of Mercy Window' shows a bearded man (who may be the donor, Nicholas Blackburn, a merchant and mayor of York), carrying out six of the seven bodily acts of mercy, ie feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, offering hospitality to strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and relieving those in prison. The final act (burying the dead) is omitted.
Next along in the aisle is the unique 'Pricke of Conscience' window, so named after a Middle English poem, written in the Northumbrian dialect, describing the last 15 days of the world. The panels depict the destruction of the world and the fate of humankind, each panel underscored with the relevant passage of the poem, and all intended to call people to repent. As you might expect, the images include some wonderful beasts, demons and devils, along with people in varying states of terror or torment. The families of the donors sit watching all this at the bottom of the window.
Finally, in the south aisle, look out for the bright and colourful 'Orders of Angels' window in the south aisle: in one of the lower panels is a man wearing a pair of very uncomfortable looking 15th century spectacles.
Other fittings of note include a fine 15th century memorial slab on the floor of the south aisle near the chancel arcade, and the imposing late 17th cetury pulpit. Don't forget to look up, either, to the chancel and aisle ceilings with their beautifully carved 15th century hammerbeams depicting angels and men of the church.
The church is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and Mass is said on Thursday at 12.45, and on Sundays at 12 noon and 17.30. The church is normally open for visitors in the middle of the day.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
York Cathedral
York Minster styles itself as the 'largest mediaeval gothic cathedral in Northern Europe’, although Cologne also claims the title. Although, personally, I don’t think it’s a particularly atmospheric church for its age - there’s not a lot of interest at ground level in the nave and crossing - it is a huge and impressive architecturally. The most interesting parts are the nearly 2,000 years history preserved and on display in its crypts, and its enormous collection of original mediaeval stained glass - unrivalled in Britain, and of world importance.In other words - look up and look down!
History
York has a very long Christian history indeed. A diocese was established and based in the Roman city of Eboracum in 314AD, although the first church on the site was built in wood for King Edwin of Northumbria in 627AD. This was rebuilt in stone and dedicated to St Peter in 637AD by King Oswald. Although the history is obscure during the Viking period, when the city was renamed Jarvik, it was rebuilt several times again before the Norman conquest in 1066. The Danes destroyed it in a raid in 1075, and a fully Romanesque church was built by the Normans in 1080, completed in 1154.
The ascendency of York as an Archbishopric led to the Cathedral being rebuilt from the 13th Century onwards on a vast scale and in the new Gothic style, in a complex sequence that has left substantial elements from all three main periods of mediaeval Gothic architecture: Early English of 1220 in the transepts, from around 1220; Decorated Gothic in the Nave and Chapter House from 1280-1350; and Perpendicular in the Chancel from 1361-1472.
The tower collapsed in 1407, and a new one was completed in 1420, and the western towers added between 1433 and 1472. The church is therefore unusual in being almost entirely mediaeval in its structure, with the restorations of the Victorians and later being relatively restrained - largely repairs from fire damage, including the most recent fire in 1984 which destroyed the roof of the south transept.
The church suffered badly in the Reformation, especially in destruction of its tombs, although the glass survived remarkably intact. Work to underpin the cathedral in the 1970s led to the discovery of substantial Roman, Viking and early mediaeval remains under the cathedral’s crypt, and much of this is now visible as a separate tour.
The Church
The best place to start is the Nave, although the entrance is normally through the South Transept. One of the widest mediaeval naves in Europe, it is a perfect exampel of the elaborate Decorated Gothic style. The west window is one of the most impressive anywhere: it is known as the 'Heart of Workshire’ because of its heart-shaped tracery and dates from 1338. At ground level, the nave is relatively plain, but the glory of York is the stained glass, mostly mediaeval. This is best observed on a sunny day, as much of it is very dark (and large areas are in need of further restoration). Notable on the south wall of the nave is the Jesse Window from 1310.
The Transepts are perfect examples of the early English Gothic style, particularly the window in the north transept, whose five enormous lancets are known as the Five Sisters’ Window. The delicate grey-green glass, known as grisaille dates from 1260 and is the oldest glass in the cathedral. Opposite, the great rose window in the south transept dates from 1500, and celebrates the union of the houses of York and Lancaster at the end of the Wars of the Roses. The elaborate tomb of Archbishop Walter de Grey, who began the rebuilding in 1220, is in St Michael’s chapel in the South Transept, and is the best preserved mediaeval tomb in the cathedral.
The crossing (1420) contains wonderful tracery in the vault. The elaborate screen separating the crossing from the Choir dates from the 15th century, and depicts fifteen kings of England from William I to Henry VI. The tower can be climbed from an entrance in the south transept, for excellent views over York.
Finally, the Chancel, containing the Choir and Sanctuary are in the grand Perpendicular Gothic style, and include two more half-size transepts (actually, better appreciated from the outside). The interior of the choir and its wooden stalls are, alas 19th Century replacements after a fire 1829. But all eyes are drawn to the huge East Window, completed in 1408, and the largest single expanse of mediaeval glass in the world - famuosly, the size of a tennis court. It depicts scenes from the beginning and end of the world, from the books of Genesis and Revelations.
At ground level, the chancel aisles contain most of the tombs in the cathedral. The only Royal tomb is at the entrance to the north aisle, and belongs to Prince William of Hatfield, son of Edward III. Unusually, although he died as an infant, he is depicted as a young boy in full armour. Half way along the north aisle is the St William Window of 1422, one of the best examples of 15th century glass painting in the Cathedral, depicting St William - a 12th century Archibishop of York. Further around the aisles are a wide range of memorials, mostly from the Tudor and early Stuart periods.
The Undercroft
This is a separate tour and is accessed from the corner of the South transept by the main entrance. As well as the Treasury, it includes views (in-situ) of the archaeology unearthed in the 1970s, including remains of a Roman fortress, Viking, Norman and early mediaeval remains and carvings, probably from the earlier Minsters. It also contains a small chapel, the resting place of St William of York.
Minster Yard, York, North Yorkshire YO1 7JA
All Saints, Pavement, York
All Saints is one of York’s finest churches, and contains a wealth of interesting furnishings, along with impressive mediaeval glass.Tradition states that the first All Saints was built here in 685AD for St Cuthbert, and a church certainly existed here in mediaeval times. However, the present church dates from the late 14th century, and has in its Perpendicular Gothic lines an architectural unity rare in this city of ancient churches. It was a Guild church, and shields from some of the Guilds are located at the end of the pews.
From the outside, the most distinctive feature is its octagonal tower, dating from around 1400, surmounted with one of the finest lanterns in the country. This really was a lantern in mediaeval times: a light was kept burning here to guide travellers into York, and inside the church are two of the huge and rather crude lenses used to focus the light.
The interior is spacious, if rather truncated: the original chancel was demolished to make way for a market in 1782. The attractive blue panelled nave ceiling dates from the 15th century, but it is the fittings and furnishings that provide the interest.
Chief of these is the glass: the three East windows are all by Kempe, and the West window dates from around 1370, and was brought from St Saviour’s in 1957. The series of panels depicting the Passion is claimed to be unique, and is certainly rare.
Other items of interest include an Anglo-Danish grave cover from the 10th century; an elegant 17th century pulpit dated 1634, from which John Wesley (1703-1791), the co-founder of the Methodist church, preached; a 15th century lectern; the aforementioned lantern lenses; a Lord Mayors’ Board (34 of them are buried here); and replicas of the helmet, sword and gauntlets of Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, who was executed in The Pavement in 1572 for leading a rebellion against Elizabeth I.
High Ousegate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 8RZ
Friday, 27 March 2009
Selby Abbey
Many of the abbeys made redundant after the dissolution became cathedrals (if they were in the right place) or were pulled down (if they were not). Selby Abbey survived as the town's parish church - thus endowing this modest, Yorkshire market town with one of the largest and most splendid parish churches in the UK.
Built on the scale of a cathedral, the church was begun shortly after the Norman conquest, and much of the present interior dates from this period. The nave arcade piers are pure Norman romanesque, the style derived from those in Durham Cathedral. The nave was completed in the Early English Gothic style, but the chancel dates from the Decorated style of Gothic, in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and is a particularly rich example of this period.
The great East Window is also in the Decorated style, and contains its original mediaeval glass, depicting a tree of Jesse. More 14th century glass contains the coat of arms of the Washington family - stars and stripes - later used as the model for the US flag.
From the outside, the church is beautifully composed, set amongst lawns and trees, with its strict cruciform plan and high central tower complimented by twin west towers. The whole setting is delightful.
Built on the scale of a cathedral, the church was begun shortly after the Norman conquest, and much of the present interior dates from this period. The nave arcade piers are pure Norman romanesque, the style derived from those in Durham Cathedral. The nave was completed in the Early English Gothic style, but the chancel dates from the Decorated style of Gothic, in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and is a particularly rich example of this period.
The great East Window is also in the Decorated style, and contains its original mediaeval glass, depicting a tree of Jesse. More 14th century glass contains the coat of arms of the Washington family - stars and stripes - later used as the model for the US flag.
From the outside, the church is beautifully composed, set amongst lawns and trees, with its strict cruciform plan and high central tower complimented by twin west towers. The whole setting is delightful.
The Crescent, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 4PU
www.selbyabbey.org.ukTuesday, 24 March 2009
Holy Trinity Church, York
Phrases like 'atmospheric', 'hidden gem' and 'perfectly preserved' often get bandied about when talking about old buildings, but this church, tucked away from the busy, touristy streets of old York, fits them better than most.
For a start, it really is hidden: the churchyard lies quietly secluded from the busy streets of York, accessed by narrow alleyways. It would not look out of place in a remote village. And it is exceptionally well preserved: such restoration as was undertaken by the Victorians seems to have been extraordinarily sensitive. It is about as close as you can get to how a church would have looked after the Reformation: dark, quiet, homely, with uneven floors, high box pews and plain walls. With candle-light it must perfectly evoke the late 17th century. It is rightly a Grade I listed building.
The church actually dates back to the 12th century, although the current building owes rather more to the 13th-15th centuries. The box pews are recorded as being repaired in 1633, and new ones added in 1700-1725. The pulpit dates from 1695.
But the church's most notable feature - as is so often the case in York - is its mediaeval stained glass. The windows are Decorated and Perpendicular in style. The best is the late Perpendicular east window: this dates from 1470-71 and was presented by the then rector, John Walker. The glass depicts saints, including St George and St Christopher, as well as heraldic shields, around a central panel in which a representation of God as the Trinity holding the dead Christ, with the donors at his feet.
Other features include a simple 15th century font and wall plaques recalling Lord Mayors of York, including the infamous 'Railway King', George Hudson.
Whether you just want ten minutes' peace and quiet, or some spiritual solace from the touristy rush that is modern York, a visit is a must.
The church is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
Address: 70 Goodramgate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 7LF
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