St Andrew's Church, East Heslerton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Andrew's Church, East Heslerton
St Andrew's Church, East Heslerton, from the northeast
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OS grid reference	SE 926,766
Location	East Heslerton, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Founder(s)	Sir Tatton Sykes
Dedication	Saint Andrew
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	10 October 1966
Architect(s)	G. E. Street
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1877
Specifications
Spire height	105 feet (32 m)
Materials	Sandstone ashlar, red tile roof

St Andrew's Church is an old Anglican church located at the south end of East Heslerton, a village in North Yorkshire, England. It is no longer used for regular church services, which is why it's called a "redundant church." This special building is protected as a Grade I listed building, meaning it's very important historically and architecturally. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it today.

Church History

The St Andrew's Church you see today is actually the third church built on this spot. It was constructed in 1877 by Sir Tatton Sykes, who lived at Sledmere House. A famous architect named G. E. Street designed it. What's really cool about this church is that it hasn't been changed at all since it was built. It's like a time capsule, showing exactly how Street designed it, with all its original features still inside. The church officially became part of the Churches Conservation Trust in 2002.

Church Design and Look

Outside the Church

St Andrew's Church is built from sandstone blocks, which are carefully cut and shaped (this is called ashlar). The tall, pointed roof (called a spire) is covered with stone slates, while the rest of the church has red tile roofs.

The church's layout includes a long main hall (the nave) with five sections, a small entrance area (the porch), and a special room for baptisms (the baptistry) sticking out on the west side. There's also a higher section at the east end (the chancel) and a small room next to it (the vestry). A tower stands on the north side.

The porch is open, creating a kind of waiting area (a narthex). It's held up by grey stone columns with fancy tops (capitals) decorated with leaf designs. The tower has two main parts and strong supports (buttresses) at its corners. A small, round staircase tower (a turret) is on its northwest side.

The lower part of the tower is square and has a door on the west side. On the north side, there are three tall, narrow windows with pointed tops (lancet windows). The upper part of the tower is eight-sided and has four openings with wooden slats (louvred bell openings) where the bells are. Between these openings, you'll see statues under small, three-leaf shaped canopies. These statues show four important early Christian leaders: Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory, and Saint Jerome. A sculptor named James Redfern made them. They were originally meant for another cathedral but ended up here!

The spire is also eight-sided and has small dormer windows (lucarnes) and round windows with four-leaf designs (quatrefoil windows). A wrought iron cross sits at the very top. The spire is about 105 feet (32 meters) tall! The chancel has a rounded end (an apse) and more lancet windows. It also has a wrought iron cross on its roof. The vestry has a large east window with five stepped lancet windows.

Inside the Church

One of the most amazing things about St Andrew's Church is that all its original furniture and decorations are still there, just as they were when it was built.

In the chancel, there's a double seat (a sedilia) and two basins (piscinae), both with three-leaf shaped tops. These were used by priests during services. The font, where baptisms take place, has an eight-sided bowl on a base made of several columns grouped together. Its cover is beautifully decorated with wrought ironwork. The pulpit, where sermons are given, is made from a type of limestone called Caen stone and marble.

The altarpiece is a painted screen with multiple panels (a polyptych) that shows scenes from the Te Deum, a very old Christian hymn. Between the nave and the chancel, there's a lovely wrought iron screen with gates in the middle. The floor of the chancel is covered with colorful, patterned tiles (encaustic tiles).

All the stained glass windows in the church were made by a company called Clayton and Bell. The window behind the organ shows the story of Creation, and the west window shows the Nativity (the birth of Jesus). The seats for the congregation (the pews) are made of oak wood, and the nave floor is also made of oak boards. The church has a set of three bells (a ring of bells) that were made in 1876–77 by a company called John Taylor & Co in Loughborough.

Outside Features and Churchyard

Around the churchyard, there are three interesting items, all from 1877 and also protected as Grade II listed items. The entrance gate (a lychgate) and the wall that goes all the way around the churchyard were also designed by G. E. Street and are made of sandstone blocks. The lychgate has a pointed roof (a gabled roof) with a cross on its north end.

Inside the churchyard, there's a stone cross, also designed by Street. It has a round base with three steps and a column (a fluted shaft) that has grooves carved into it. On top of the column is a cross with leaf-like decorations, under a fancy, pointed canopy. You'll also find a beautifully decorated wrought iron lamppost and lamp in the churchyard. Even though the church itself is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust, these three items still belong to the local church community.

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire
• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England