St Andrew's Church, Aysgarth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew's Church, Aysgarth |
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St Andrew's Church, Aysgarth
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| 54°17′31.64″N 1°58′59.04″W / 54.2921222°N 1.9830667°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE 01195 88534 |
| Location | Aysgarth |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Andrew |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Aysgarth |
| Deanery | Wensley |
| Archdeaconry | Richmond and Craven |
| Diocese | Leeds |
| Province | York |
St Andrew's Church, Aysgarth is a historic church in Aysgarth, North Yorkshire, England. It belongs to the Church of England. This church is considered very important, which is why it has a special "Grade II* listed" status. You can find it on the south side of the River Ure.
Contents
History of St Andrew's Church
This church is very old, dating back to medieval times. It was largely rebuilt in 1536 and again in 1866. The 1866 rebuilding was done by James Green of Todmorden. It cost about £3,600, which was a lot of money back then!
The church's roof and walls were in very bad condition. Even the original arches inside were falling apart. Because of this, almost the entire church had to be rebuilt. Only the lower part of the tower was kept from the original building.
During the rebuilding, the upper part of the walls, called the clerestory, was made taller by about 3 feet (1 meter). New windows with cool geometric patterns were added on each side. The large window at the east end of the church shows scenes from the life of Jesus. It was made by Clayton and Bell and was a gift from H.T. Robinson.
The church officially reopened on August 28, 1866. The Bishop of Ripon was there for the special event.
Special Features of the Church
St Andrew's Church is famous for its beautiful wooden screen, called a rood screen. This screen was made around 1506. It wasn't always in this church, though! It originally came from Jervaulx Abbey, a large monastery nearby.
When many monasteries were closed down in the 1500s (a time called the Dissolution of the monasteries), this screen was moved to St Andrew's. Some monks from the dissolved monasteries even found a safe place to stay at this church.
Sadly, a very old Saxon Cross was stolen from the church in 1966.
The churchyard, where people are buried, has more than a thousand gravestones.
Church Community and Parishes
St Andrew's Church is part of a group of churches that work together. This group is called a joint parish.
The churches in this joint parish are:
- Thornton Rust Mission Room
- St Oswald's Church, Castle Bolton
- St Mary's Church, Redmire
- Holy Trinity Church, Wensley
- St Margaret's Church, Preston-under-Scar
- St Bartholomew's Church, West Witton
The Church Organ
The church has a pipe organ that was built by Isaac Abbot of Leeds. It cost £600 and was finished in 1880. The wooden case around the organ was carved by J.H. Thorp of Leeds, following a design by J.M. Bottomley.
You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.
See also
- Grade II* listed churches in North Yorkshire (district)
- Listed buildings in Aysgarth
