St Mary's Church, Roecliffe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Roecliffe
St Mary's Church seen from the south
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SE375659
Location	Roecliffe, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	St Mary
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	15 March 1966
Architect(s)	RH Sharp
Architectural type	Church
Style	Romanesque Revival
Completed	1843
Specifications
Materials	Limestone, red tile roof

St Mary's Church is a special old church in the village of Roecliffe, North Yorkshire, England. It used to be a regular church for services, but now it's looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. This means it's a very important building, listed as Grade II*, and kept safe for everyone to enjoy.

History of St Mary's Church

This church was built in 1843. It was made for Andrew Lawson, who lived at Aldborough Manor. The person who designed it was an architect from York named RH Sharp.

The church was built using stone from different places. Some stone came from an old Roman quarry near Aldborough Manor. Other stone came from a quarry at Cotgrove. The stone for the arch inside the church came from Burton Leonard.

Later, in the 1870s, large supports called buttresses were added. These were put on the north and south walls to make the church stronger. St Mary's stopped being a regular parish church on April 1, 1983. It was then given to the Churches Conservation Trust on June 5, 1986. The Trust now takes care of the building.

Architecture and Design

Building Structure

St Mary's Church is built from limestone and has a red tile roof. It is designed in a style called Romanesque Revival. This style looks like old Roman buildings.

The church has one main room. This room includes the nave, which is the main part where people sit. It also has a small chancel, which is the area near the altar. There is also a small room called a vestry on the north-east side.

On the west end of the roof, there is a small tower called a bellcote. It has a pointed roof and holds one bell. The main entrance is on the south side. It has a round arch with two layers, supported by columns on each side. There are three buttresses on the south wall and two on the north wall. All the windows are round-headed. The windows in the chancel are narrower than the others. The west window has small columns next to it. The roof inside is shaped like a half-barrel, which is called a barrel vault. Five black and white marble steps lead up to the chancel. These steps used to be in York Minster, a very famous cathedral.

Inside the Church: Fittings and Furniture

St Mary's Church has many old wooden pieces inside. These pieces were brought from other places. For example, the eight-sided pulpit is in a style called Jacobean. It was moved here from Holy Trinity Church, Hull. The door to the vestry is from the 15th century and has carved designs. This door also came from York Minster.

We don't know where some of the other wooden items came from. These include a panelled reading desk and pews dated 1619. There is also special linenfold panelling on the east wall. The pews are arranged along three walls, like in a college chapel. The communion table, where the holy bread and wine are placed, is from the 17th century.

The doorway leading to the vestry has a special curved top called an ogee head. Inside the vestry, there is more old carved wood. A carved band, called a frieze, shows scenes from the Bible. These include the Nativity (Jesus' birth) and the Flight into Egypt. Other scenes show David and Goliath, and Salome. Other carvings in the vestry show the heads of small angels, called putti. There are also carvings of classical capitals, which are the tops of columns. In one corner of the vestry, there is a round-arched fireplace. The stones around the arch, called voussoirs, are carved with human faces and animals.

Present Day Use

Even though St Mary's is no longer a regular church, it is still used sometimes. Church services are held there on special occasions. It is also a popular place for concerts and other events.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England