St James' Church, Warter facts for kids
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St James’ Church is a special old church located in Warter, a small village in the Yorkshire Wolds area of East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It's a really interesting place with a long history!
Contents
A Church with a Long History
This beautiful church was built a long time ago, in 1862-1863. It was made for a person named Josslyn Francis Pennington, who was the 5th Lord Muncaster. People believe this was actually the third church to be built in this exact spot!
The church was designed to look like a much older style from the 1200s, called Gothic style. It was built with smooth, cut stone and has a tiled roof. It has a tall tower at the west end with a pointy roof, a long main hall called a nave, a small area for the altar called a chancel, and a room on the north side.
In 1990, the church was no longer used for regular services. Now, it's looked after by the Yorkshire Wolds Heritage Centre. It was fixed up in 2006 with help from different groups like the Heritage Lottery Fund.
From Priory to Church: A Big Change
The church stands where a much bigger church used to be. This older church was part of a medieval priory. A priory was like a monastery, a home for a group of monks or canons. This one was for Augustinian canons and was started in Warter in 1132.
Warter Priory wasn't super rich, but it owned land and churches in several places, including Seaton Ross, Wheldrake, and Beverley. Today, the old priory site is a special protected area just north of the church.
In 1536, during a time when King Henry VIII of England was closing down monasteries, Warter Priory was shut down. There were 12 canons living there. Two of them tried to restart the monastery during a big protest called the “Pilgrimage of Grace”. Because of this, they were arrested and sadly executed in York in 1537.
New Owners and New Buildings
Later, in the late 1600s, the Pennington family bought the priory land. They built a large house called Warter Hall, which was later known as Warter Priory. This house was torn down in 1972.
The village of Warter needed some work, so the Pennington family started rebuilding it. This work was continued by Charles Henry Wilson, a rich ship owner from Hull who bought the estate in 1878. He became Lord Nunburnholme in 1906. Over the years, the estate was bought by different families, including the Marquis of Normanby and Malcolm Healey.
You can still see some interesting old buildings in Warter today. There's a row of cottages with thatched roofs and a farm building from 1732 that used stone from the old medieval priory!
Inside the Church: Art and Memories
Inside St James' Church, you can find amazing artworks by famous sculptors and artists.
Beautiful Sculptures
There are sculptures by Sir George Frampton. He made a beautiful marble monument for Lady Isabel Wilson, who passed away in 1905 when she was only 26. Sir George Frampton also created a monument for Charles Henry Wilson, the first Lord Nunburnholme. This monument even has hints about his shipping business! There's also a small plaque by Frampton for Gerald Valerian Wilson.
Stunning Stained Glass
The church has gorgeous stained-glass windows designed by Robert Anning Bell. One window shows Lord and Lady Nunburnholme with pictures of sailing ships and the Hull city crest. Another window is dedicated to Gerald Valerian Wilson, the Nunburnholmes' son, who died at 23 in 1908.
In 2011, two more stained-glass windows by Robert Anning Bell were put back into the church after being stored away for many years. These windows used to be in a special building called a mausoleum in the churchyard. One window shows Lady Isabel and her baby being carried to heaven by angels. The other window shows Lady Isabel's good qualities, like Courage, Hope, and "Love to the Death," surrounded by child angels playing music.
The Churchyard: A Peaceful Place
On the north side of the churchyard, there's a private burial ground for the Wilson family, who were the Lords Nunburnholme.
Amazing Bronze Sculptures
You can find two bronze sculptures by Gilbert Bayes here. He was a student of Sir George Frampton and an important artist in a style called the "New Sculpture Movement".
One sculpture remembers the first Lord Nunburnholme, who died in 1907. It shows a figure of Victory holding a laurel wreath. The other sculpture, closer to the church, is for his youngest son, Gerald Valerian Wilson. It shows a standing angel with a halo, reading from a book. Sadly, some of the smaller parts of these sculptures were stolen a long time ago. These two sculptures used to be in the Italian Garden at Warter Priory and were moved to the church in 1929.
There was also a classical mausoleum built next to the church. It held Sir George Frampton's memorial for Lady Isabel Wilson. This building was taken down in 1966, and the memorial was moved inside the church. Now, you can only see a grassy mound where it used to be.
The rest of the churchyard is being looked after as a home for local wildlife.
See also
- Warter
- Warter Priory
