St Mary's Church, Whitby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Whitby |
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The church, viewed from the south
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 St Mary's Church, Whitby
Location in North Yorkshire
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| 54°29′20″N 0°36′36″W / 54.48896°N 0.60991°W | |
| OS grid reference | NZ 903 112 |
| Location | Whitby, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 23 February 1954 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Whitby |
| Deanery | Whitby |
| Archdeaconry | Cleveland |
| Diocese | Diocese of York |
| Province | Province of York |
St Mary's Church is a special church in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. It was built a very long time ago, around the year 1110. But much of what you see inside is from the late 1700s. It's considered a very important historical building, called a Grade I listed building, since 1954.
You'll find it high up on the east cliff of Whitby, looking over the River Esk. It's also very close to the old ruins of Whitby Abbey. To get there, you can climb the famous 199 steps from the town below. Its graveyard is even famous for being in Bram Stoker's spooky book, Dracula.
Contents
What the Church Looks Like
A church was first built here around 1110, in a style called Norman. Over hundreds of years, more parts were added and changed. The tower and the side sections, called transepts, are from the 12th and 13th centuries. The tower is square and has a crenellated top, which looks like the battlements of a castle.
One of the oldest parts is the quire, which is the area where the choir sits. It has three round-topped windows at its east end. The side walls originally had similar windows but have been changed.
The main part of the church, called the nave, has five sections. It was built around the same time as the quire. The south wall has been changed a lot, but you can still see three outside supports called buttresses.
In 1818, the church was made bigger. Most of the north wall was removed and replaced with columns to add an extra space called an aisle. Four large, square windows were put in on the south side. A south entrance porch was built in 1823, and a north porch was added to the new part. The ceilings over the nave are made of wood and have several skylights.
The transept was built in the 13th century. Its northern arm has three changed lancet windows, which are tall, narrow windows. The southern arm has been changed a lot, and all its windows are new. There's a special opening called a squint that lets you see from the south transept into the quire.
The west tower has three levels and looks quite short. Its corners are supported by flat buttresses. The embattled top edge was added in the 1500s. The church has eight bells. Six of them were made in London in 1762, and two more were added in 1897.
Inside the Church
Inside, the nave and transept have galleries from the 1800s. You can reach these by stairs both inside and outside the church. There's also a special three-level pulpit that was put in in 1778 and changed in 1847.
The church still has its old box pews from the 1700s. Some of these pews even say, "For Strangers Only." North of the chancel arch, there's a pew from the Jacobean time (early 1600s). You can also see a monument for Sir Richard Cholmley, who passed away in 1631.
There is also a memorial inside the church for Lieutenant-General Peregrine Lascelles (1685-1772). He was a military leader who fought in several wars in the 1700s, including the Battle of Prestonpans in Scotland in 1745.
Protecting the Church from the Cliff
The churchyard, and the buildings below the cliff, have faced some danger from landslips. These happened because of broken drains and heavy rain. The first big landslip was in November 2012.
However, a local town councillor, Steve Smith, said that the church itself is safe. This is because it was built on solid rock. Sadly, some old human remains have fallen onto the street below. Because of this, pathways on the cliff side of the church have been closed for safety.
Images for kids
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The church, viewed from the south
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Caedmon's cross on the west side of the churchyard
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Memorial to General Peregrine Lascelles (1685-1772)
