Church of St Michael and All Angels, Garton on the Wolds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Michael and All Angels |
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| Church of St Michael and All Angels, Garton on the Wolds | |
"Quite exceptional Victorian decoration" – restored in memory of Sir Nickolaus Pevsner
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 Church of St Michael and All Angels
Location in East Riding of Yorkshire
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| 54°01′14″N 0°30′10″W / 54.0206°N 0.5027°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE 98197 59328 |
| Location | Garton on the Wolds, East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Founded | 1132 |
| Dedication | Saint Michael |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 20 September 1966 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of York |
The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a very old church in Garton on the Wolds, East Riding of Yorkshire. It was built around 1132 for the leader of Kirkham Abbey. For a long time, it was connected to the Sykes family of Sledmere.
In 1856–1857, Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet hired John Loughborough Pearson to rebuild much of the church. Later, Sir Tatton Sykes' son, the fifth baronet, asked George Edmund Street to design beautiful wall paintings inside. These paintings show many stories from the Bible.
When a famous historian named Nikolaus Pevsner wrote about the church in 1972, the paintings were "dirty and decaying." But from 1985 to 1991, they were carefully cleaned and fixed up in Pevsner's memory. The church is still used for services today and is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historical building.
Contents
History of the Church
Experts at Historic England say the church was built around 1132. It was made for the leader of Kirkham Abbey. A historian named David Neave explains that Walter Espec gave the church to the abbey in 1121. The church was rebuilt soon after that.
More work was done on the church in the 1300s and 1400s. This included building the top part of the tower. By the 1800s, the church was falling apart. So, Sir Tatton Sykes the Fourth brought in J. L. Pearson to completely restore it between 1855 and 1857. Most of the church you see today was built by Pearson. Only the tower and a few other parts are older.
In 1865, Sir Tatton Sykes the Fifth stopped working with Pearson. He then hired G. E. Street to decorate the inside of the church. Sir Tatton Sykes spent a huge amount of money, about £150,000, on building and restoring churches on his land in Yorkshire.
The Famous Wall Paintings
The beautiful wall paintings inside the church were made in 1865. They were created by a well-known company called Clayton and Bell. These paintings cover almost all the walls inside the church. They show many different scenes from the Bible. The total cost for these decorations was about £3,000.
The mid-1800s was a time of big changes for the church. In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species. This book presented new ideas about how life developed. These ideas challenged traditional beliefs about how the world was created. Historian Jill Allibone suggests that the wall paintings were Sir Tatton Sykes's way of showing his strong belief in the Bible's stories.
When Nikolaus Pevsner wrote about the church in 1972, he said the paintings were in a "pitiful" state. He stressed that it was "essential that they be preserved." By the time Pevsner died about ten years later, the paintings were "hideously disfigured by damp and dirt."
Some of Pevsner's friends and colleagues decided to raise money to fix the paintings in his memory. A committee called the Pevsner Memorial Trust was set up. They chose the murals at St Michael and All Angels as a good project. They worked to raise the £100,000 needed. David Neave's updated guide from 2005 mentions that the paintings were restored and saved between 1986 and 1991.
The church is still an active parish church and holds regular services for the community.
Church Design and Features
The church is built from sandstone blocks called ashlar. The bottom two levels of the three-story tower are from the original church built in the 1100s. The top level was added later, in the 1400s. This top part is in a style called Perpendicular Gothic, which means it has tall, thin windows and strong vertical lines.
The main entrance doorway looks like an Early Gothic style. But it was actually built by Pearson during his restoration. The church also has some important examples of Romanesque carvings. These are very old carvings from the 11th and 12th centuries, often featuring rounded arches and detailed patterns.
Inside the Church
The wall paintings in the main part of the church, called the nave, show scenes from the Old Testament. The paintings in the chancel, which is the area around the altar, show scenes from the New Testament. These paintings are considered some of the best work by Clayton and Bell. They also created the beautiful stained glass windows and painted the church roofs.
The special floor in the chancel and nave is called Cosmati paving. It was added later, in 1878, when Pearson worked on the church again. Pearson had seen similar beautiful floors from the 1100s during his travels in Italy. However, David Neave notes that this floor "has not worn well," meaning it hasn't held up perfectly over time.
Underneath the wall paintings, there is a decorative border of tiles. This border is called a dado and is in a "Spanish" style. It was made by Frederick Garrard of Millwall and cost £166.
The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a Grade I listed building. This means it is a very important historical and architectural site in England.
Images for kids
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The church interior with decoration by Clayton & Bell
