Church of St Andrew, Grinton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Andrew, Grinton
St Andrew's Church
St Andrew's Church, Grinton
Church of St Andrew, Grinton Location in North Yorkshire
54°22′53″N 1°55′49″W / 54.3813°N 1.9304°W / 54.3813; -1.9304
OS grid reference	SE046984
Location	Grinton, North Yorkshire DL11 6HH
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Active
Architecture
Architectural type	Norman Perpendicular Decorated
Administration
Parish	Swaledale with Arkengarthdale (460421)
Benefice	Swaledale with Arkengarthdale
Deanery	Richmond
Archdeaconry	Richmond and Craven
Diocese	Leeds

The Church of St Andrew, Grinton, is a historic church in the village of Grinton, North Yorkshire, England. It's the main church for the area. This amazing building is so important that it's a grade I listed structure. This means it's considered a building of exceptional historical interest.

People sometimes call it The Cathedral of the Dales. This is because it was the only parish church in Upper Swaledale for a long time. A parish church is the main church for a local area. For centuries, people who died in the upper valley had to be carried all the way to St Andrew's for burial. This long journey was known as the Swaledale Corpse Way.

Even though Grinton stayed a small village, its location was important. It was a key crossing point over the River Swale. The church was first built in the 12th century. It has been changed and added to many times since then. Its original style was Norman architecture. For 400 years, St Andrew's looked after the largest church area (parish) in all of Yorkshire.

The church has some special features. These include a bible that was once chained to a stand. It also has a Jacobean pulpit with a special "sounding board." This board helped the preacher's voice carry better. Another interesting feature is a hagioscope in the south wall. St Andrew's is also known as the most northern of the "Pennine Perpendicular churches."

Discover the Church's Long History

The Church of St Andrew was built in the 12th century. It was given to the Augustinian Priory of Bridlington. A priory is like a monastery. These monks owned a lot of land around Grinton. William de Gaunt gave them this land in the early 1100s.

Before this church was built, the valley was part of the same church area as Catterick. A religious leader named Paulinus set up that church area in the 600s. We don't have proof, but many believe a Saxon place of worship stood where St Andrew's is now. When the church was first built, Augustinian monks worked there. They called it Ecclesia de Swaledala. Later, in the late 1200s, a local priest called a vicar was appointed.

When monasteries were closed down in England, the church became the property of the King. This happened until 1890. Then, it became the property of the Bishop of Ripon. Today, it is part of the Diocese of Leeds.

How the Church Building Changed Over Time

The church building has been changed and added to many times. These changes happened in the 1200s, 1300s, 1400s, and 1500s. There have been even more changes since then. The church has a tower on the west side. It also has a north aisle, a nave (the main part of the church), a south aisle, and chapels. There is also a vestry and a porch.

A famous expert named Pevsner described St Andrew's as a "low, grey, spreading Perpendicular church." He noted that it still had its original Norman style. It also had Decorated style features. The church is special because it's the most northern of the "Pennine Perpendicular churches." Many churches in Yorkshire have the Perpendicular style. However, other churches in the Pennines mountains look different.

The church is about 119 feet (36 m) long from the altar to the back of the tower. The main part of the church is 89 feet (27 m) long and 54 feet 4 inches (16.56 m) wide. The church has a row of windows high up, called a clerestory. But these windows are only on the south side. The nave has a Jacobean pulpit. This pulpit got a "sounding board" in 1718. This helped the preacher's voice be heard more clearly.

The Mysterious Hagioscope

Another rare feature is the hagioscope. You can find it in the south-west wall. A hagioscope is also called a squint or a leper's squint. It was a small opening that allowed people to watch the church service without being inside the main area. Sometimes, this was so people could do other tasks while still hearing the service. It also allowed people with contagious diseases, like leprosy, to watch without making others sick.

The porch has grooves in its stone. People think these were made by men sharpening their tools. They might have been waiting for the lords to finish church before going hunting.

Modern Updates and the Corpse Road

St Andrew's church was renovated between 1895 and 1896. This cost £3,000. It officially reopened during Easter of 1896. Before this, the church had box pews. These were like private boxes for families. But they were removed during the renovations. Normal pews were put in instead.

Many of the old medieval stained glass windows were kept. But some new windows were also added. One beautiful new window was made by Charles Eamer Kempe. It is on the east side of the church. At the same time, the church bells were remade. The tower got a new clock. The old Norman font (a basin for baptisms) was also brought back into the church.

Since St Andrew's was the only parish church for all of Upper Swaledale, it was the only one with consecrated ground. Consecrated ground is land blessed for burials. So, if people from places like Muker or Keld wanted to bury their relatives, they had to carry the coffin 12 miles (19 km) down to Grinton. This path is now a famous walking trail called the Swaledale Corpse Road.

This tradition ended in 1580. That's when a new church, St Mary's, was built in Muker. It had its own consecrated ground. But it took another 300 years for Muker to get its own separate church area. Before that, Grinton Parish was the largest in Yorkshire for 400 years! It was known as Swaledale with Grinton Parish or Grinton-in-Swaledale. Because St Andrew's was so important, it earned the nickname The Cathedral of the Dales. People still call it that today.

Bats in the Belfry? Not Quite!

The church is home to a colony of bats. Bats are protected animals. Even though they can cause some damage, the community has embraced them. They use the bats as a fun way to teach schoolchildren about nature and conservation.

The Chained Bible

The church has a special chained bible. In 1752, words were written on it: "for the use of the inhabitants of Grinton, 1752." Chaining books in churches was an old custom. It helped church leaders keep their valuable books safe. It also allowed people to read them without taking them away.

Some people believe King Henry VIII ordered churches to have a chained bible. But there are examples of this happening even before his time. Another order from King Edward VI said churches should "provide within three moneths one boke of the whole bible of the largest volume in English....to be sette upp in some convenient place within the churche." By the early 1900s, only two churches in the old North Riding of Yorkshire still had a chained bible. St Andrew's was one. The other was St Michael's at Kirklington.

Other Important Buildings Nearby

Besides the church itself, which is a grade I listed building, there are three other important structures linked to the church.

• Blackburn Hall - This building is grade II* listed. It was originally used by the monks from the Augustinian Priory at Bridlington as a house.
• The Clarkson memorial in the churchyard - This is a grade II listed memorial.
• The gates and gatepiers to the east of the church - These are also grade II listed.

The Church's Role Today

St Andrew's is one of four churches in the church area called Swaledale with Arkengarthdale. This is also the name of the Benefice, which is a group of churches looked after by one vicar. The other three churches in this group are: St Mary's in Muker, Holy Trinity in Low Row, and St Mary's in Arkengarthdale. Not all churches have services every Sunday.

Meet the Church Leaders

Inside St Andrew's Church, Grinton

The gate to St Andrew's Church, Grinton

Here is a list of the vicars who have served the Church of St Andrew, Grinton, over the centuries. The current vicar also leads services at the other churches in the area.

• ♦This symbol means there might be a gap in the records or a longer time between vicars.