St James' Church, Melsonby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St James' Church, Melsonby
St James' Church, Melsonby, from the northwest
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	NZ 201,084
Location	Melsonby, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Stanwick Group of Churches
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint James the Great
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	4 February 1969
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin (restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic, Gothic Revival
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tiled roofs
Administration
Parish	Melsonby
Deanery	Richmond
Archdeaconry	Richmond
Diocese	Leeds
Province	York

St James' Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Melsonby, which is in North Yorkshire, England. It is an Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. St James' is a parish church, serving the local community. It is part of a group of five churches called the Stanwick Group of Churches. This church is very important historically, so it is listed as a Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England.

A Look at History

There was a church on this spot even before the Normans came to England in 1066. We know this because a priest in Melsonby was mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was a big survey of England made in 1085.

The church you see today was started in 1135. It was mostly finished by the 1200s. Later, in 1871–72, the church was restored. This means it was repaired and updated by architects named Paley and Austin from Lancaster. During this work, parts like the main hall (called the nave) and the area around the altar (called the chancel) were rebuilt. They also added a small room for the priest (a vestry) and a porch at the entrance. The old east window was replaced with three tall, narrow windows called lancet windows.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

St James' Church is built from sandstone rocks, with smoother stone used for details. It has a tiled roof. The church has a main hall (nave) with four sections and a row of windows high up (a clerestory). It also has side sections (aisles) on the north and south, a porch on the south, and a chancel at the east end. There's a vestry on the north side and a tall tower at the west end.

The tower has three levels and strong supports (buttresses) at its corners. Each side of the tower has a narrow window. On the west side, there's a diamond-shaped clock face. The top level of the tower has openings with slats for the bells to ring out. The very top of the tower has a decorative, castle-like edge. The south porch has a pointed roof, supports, a pointed arch for the doorway, and two lancet windows on each side.

The south aisle wall has one single lancet window and two pairs of lancet windows. The north aisle has three pairs of lancet windows. The high windows (clerestory) have four round-headed windows on each side. There's also a lancet window at the west and east ends of both aisles. Along the south wall of the chancel, you'll find a pointed-arch window, a priest's door, three lancet windows, and three small alcoves (niches) where statues might have once stood. The main east window has three lancet windows of different heights, with a decorative molding above them. The vestry has a pointed-arch window on its east side and paired lancet windows on its north side. The ends of the roofs have decorative cross shapes.

Inside the Church

Inside, the arches that separate the main hall from the side aisles are held up by large columns (piers). Some of these columns are round, while others are eight-sided. On the north side of the chancel, there's a double cupboard (aumbry) for storing sacred items. On the south side, there's a single cupboard and a damaged basin (piscina) used for washing communion vessels.

In the south aisle, there's a special carved area from the mid-1300s. It has a fancy pointed top with a decorative finial and small towers (pinnacles) on the sides. This might have been an Easter Sepulchre, a place used during Easter celebrations.

You can also see some old monuments inside. There's a stone statue (effigy) from the 1200s of a knight wearing chain mail armor, holding a sword and a shield. There's also a grave cover with a carved cross, a man's head, and hands praying. Two very old Anglo-Saxon cross pieces, from around 800 AD, are also here.

The church has an organ with one keyboard, built by Bryceson and Company. There are four bells in the tower. The oldest bell was made around 1370! Another was made in 1718, and the newest two were made in 1875.

Things to See Outside

In the churchyard, there are three items that are also listed as Grade II historic items. East of the porch, you'll find two sandstone gravestones from the early to mid-1700s. South of the tower, there's a very worn sandstone chest tomb, possibly from the 1600s. On the south side of the path leading to the church, there's a group of three sandstone gravestones from the mid-1700s.

See also

• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin