All Saints' Church, Harewood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints' Church, Harewood |
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All Saints' Church, Harewood, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SE 313 450 |
| Location | Harewood, West Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 30 March 1966 |
| Architect(s) | Sir George Gilbert Scott (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | c. 1410 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Millstone grit, Westmorland slate roofs |
All Saints' Church is a very old church from the 15th century. It is located in the beautiful park of Harewood House in West Yorkshire, England. This house is the home of the Lascelles family, who are the Earls of Harewood.
The church is no longer used for regular services, which means it is a redundant church. It is protected as a Grade I listed building because of its special history and architecture. The Churches Conservation Trust now looks after it.
All Saints' Church stands alone in Harewood Park. This is because the nearby village was moved around 1760. The owner of Harewood House wanted the village to be further away from his home.
Inside the church, you can find the family vault of the Earls of Harewood. There are also six amazing alabaster monuments. These are statues carved from a soft, white stone. They are considered the largest collection of alabaster monuments from 1419–1510 in a parish church.
Contents
History of All Saints' Church
The church you see today was built around 1410. It was built by two sisters, Elizabeth and Sybil. They were the daughters of William de Aldburgh, who lived in the nearby Harewood Castle. The church was first named the Holy Cross.
This was not the first church on this spot. Records show a priest here as early as the 10th century. Some old carvings from that time still exist. In 1981, digging revealed stonework from the 9th century. An 11th-century cross shaft was also found from earlier burials.
A beam found in the 18th century had an inscription. It read, "We adore and praise thee thou holy Jesus, because thou hast redeemed us by thy Holy Cross, 1116."
In 1739, the Lascelles family bought the estate. They later became the Earls of Harewood. In 1759, they started building Harewood House. In the early 1780s, they added decorative battlements and pinnacles to the church.
The church was repaired and updated in 1862–63 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. This work included replacing the ceiling and pews. New stained glass windows were also added. A new altar, lectern, pulpit, and font were installed.
By 1978, the statues (called effigies) on the alabaster monuments were getting damaged. The church was then taken care of by the Churches Conservation Trust. They restored the statues and repaired the church building. All Saints' Church was officially declared redundant on November 1, 1977. The Trust took full responsibility for it on October 24, 1978.
Church Architecture and Design
Building Materials and Layout
All Saints' Church is built from Millstone Grit, a type of stone found nearby. Its roofs are made of Westmorland slate. The church has a main area called a four-bay nave. It has side sections called north and south aisles. There is also a south porch.
At the front, there is a chancel with a north vestry. At the back, there is a west tower. At the ends of the aisles are special chapels. The Gascoigne chapel is on the south side, and the Redman chapel is on the north. The church's style is Perpendicular, a type of Gothic design.
Around the church, you can see diagonal buttresses. These are supports that help hold up the walls. The tower is short and has two levels. It is built into the aisles. The main doorway on the west side is arched. Above it is a large window with five sections.
The top part of the tower has two-light bell openings on each side. There is a clock on the south side. The very top of the tower has embattled edges, like a castle. Above the porch doorway, there is a sundial. The date 1775 is carved into the top of its gable. The aisle windows have three sections. The east window has five sections. The buttresses at the east end have decorative crocketted pinnacles on top.
Inside the Church: Fittings and Furniture
The most famous features inside the church are the alabaster monuments. They are often called "the glory of the church." These monuments show six couples lying down on stone chests. All of them are members of families connected to the Harewood estate.
Originally, these monuments were painted in bright colors. Over time, the colors have faded, leaving the white alabaster. In 1978, a big project was done to clean and repair them. They were taken apart and put back together as close as possible to their original spots. The sides of the tombs show carvings of angels, saints, and people mourning.
The oldest tomb is in the south chapel. It belongs to Sir William Gascoigne, who was a very important judge (the Lord Chief Justice). His tomb, with his wife Elizabeth, dates from about 1419. Sir William is shown wearing his robes, carrying a purse and a dagger.
Later tombs show more detailed carving. They also reflect the clothing styles of their time. The newest statues are of Edward Redman and his wife Elizabeth Huddleston, from about 1510. The carving of Edward Redman is thought to be a true portrait of him, which was rare back then.
In the chancel, there is a wall memorial for Sir Thomas Denison, who died in 1765. The church has two fonts for baptisms. One is very old, from the Norman period. The other is from the Victorian era. The eight-sided pulpit is from the 19th century. It has marble columns and carved stone panels.
The altar rails and gates are a memorial to George V, a former king. They include symbols from important British orders, like the Order of the British Empire and the Order of the Garter. The newest memorial is on the north wall. It remembers the 6th Earl of Harewood and his wife, Mary, Princess Royal. The stained glass in the west window was made by the studio of Charles Eamer Kempe.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Yorkshire
- Grade I listed churches in West Yorkshire
- Listed buildings in Harewood, West Yorkshire
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England
