All Saints' Church, Northallerton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints' Church, Northallerton
All Saints' Church, Northallerton
54°20′30.69″N 1°26′12.65″W / 54.3418583°N 1.4368472°W / 54.3418583; -1.4368472
OS grid reference	SE 36725 94200
Location	Northallerton
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Central
Website	Benefice website
History
Dedication	All Saints
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Administration
Parish	Northallerton
Deanery	Mowbray
Archdeaconry	Cleveland
Diocese	York
Province	York

All Saints' Church in Northallerton is a very old and important church. It's part of the Church of England and is located in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. It's so special that it's been given a "Grade I listed" status, which means it's a building of great historical interest.

History of All Saints' Church

The very first church on this spot was built around the early 600s. It was made of wood by St Paulinus of York. Sadly, none of that wooden church remains today.

From Wood to Stone: Early Churches

In the year 855, a new church was built on the same site, but this time it was made of stone. During later repair work, pieces of this old stone church were found. These pieces show that a Saxon church once stood here.

Building the Current Church

The stone Saxon church was probably destroyed in 1318. This happened during a time of fighting with Scotland, known as the First War of Scottish Independence.

The church building you see today was started in the 1100s. It was ordered by Bishop Thomas Hatfield of Durham. Different parts of the church were added or changed in the 1200s, 1300s, and 1400s.

Major Renovations and Rebuilding

The part of the church called the chancel was taken down and rebuilt in 1779. Later, in November 1882, this chancel was removed again. A new one was built in 1885, designed by Charles Hodgson Fowler.

During this time, many other repairs happened. The outside walls were fixed. The side parts of the church, called transepts, had started to lean outwards. They were carefully moved back to stand straight. The beautiful stone patterns in the windows were repaired. A new window was also put in at the west end of the main part of the church.

The walls of the south aisle were rebuilt. Windows in the transepts that had been blocked with stone were opened up again. All these repairs cost about £6,000 at the time. The new chancel was officially opened on May 26, 1885, by the Archbishop of York.

Church Community and Parishes

All Saints' Church is part of a larger group of churches called a "joint parish." This means it works together with other local churches.

Churches in the Joint Parish

The churches that are part of this joint parish are:

• St Lawrence's Church in Kirby Sigston
• St James’ Church in Romanby

The Church Organ

All Saints' Church has a special musical instrument called a pipe organ. It was first built in 1818 by a person named James Chapman Bishop.

Organ History and Details

Over the years, the organ has been repaired and made bigger. You can find more detailed information about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register website.

The Church Bells

The bells at All Saints' Church were remade in 1962 by a company called John Taylor & co in Loughborough. In 1991, more bells were added, making a total of ten bells.

Ringing the Bells

The bells weigh almost a ton each! They are rung in a special way called "change ringing." This is an art form where the bells are rung in different patterns.

The church has a group of people who ring the bells. They ring for Sunday services, funerals, weddings, and other special events. You can hear the bells ringing every Sunday morning from 9:45 AM to 10:45 AM.

More to Explore

If you want to learn more about important buildings in the area, you can check out these links:

• Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire (district)
• Listed buildings in Northallerton

Gallery

• 

  The Chancel

• 

  The Font

• 

  Inside the Nave

• 

  The East End of the Nave