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St Helen's Church, Stonegate, York facts for kids

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St Helen’s Church, Stonegate, York
St Helena York 1.jpg
St Helen’s Church, Stonegate, York
53°57′37.79″N 1°5′0.69″W / 53.9604972°N 1.0835250°W / 53.9604972; -1.0835250
Location York
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship High church
Website [1]
History
Dedication St Helen
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade II* listed
Administration
Parish St Helen, Stonegate with St Martin, Coney Street
Deanery York
Archdeaconry York
Diocese Diocese of York
Province Province of York

St Helen's Church, Stonegate, York is a historic Church of England building in the city of York, England. It is a Grade II* listed building, which means it is considered a very important historical site. The church is dedicated to Saint Helen.

A Look at History

Early Days and Changes

This church has been around for a long time, first built in the 14th century. That's over 700 years ago! In 1551, the church was no longer used for services and parts of it were taken down. But luckily, it was saved and brought back to life later on.

Major Rebuilding Work

A big renovation happened between 1857 and 1858. A person named W H Dykes led this work. The church reopened on September 16, 1858. During this time, the walls on the north, south, and east sides were removed and rebuilt. The old roof was replaced with a new one.

The old wooden pews were taken out and replaced with open seating, which is more common today. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was rebuilt and made longer by about 3 meters (10 feet). They even added gas lighting, with fancy brass and iron lamps! The chancel got a special gas light with 24 individual lights.

Later, between 1875 and 1876, the church's tower was also rebuilt. This work was done by W Atkinson from York.

Church Community

What is a Parish?

A parish is like a local area that a church serves. St Helen's Church is part of a joint parish. This means it shares its community with another church, St Martin le Grand, York. They work together to serve the people in their area.

The Church Organ

Inside the church, there is a beautiful pipe organ. This musical instrument was built in 1959 by a company called J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. Organs like this have many pipes that make different sounds when air passes through them.

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