Sykes Churches Trail facts for kids

The Sykes Churches Trail is a special tour in East Yorkshire, England. It takes you to churches that were built, rebuilt, or fixed up by the wealthy Sykes family from Sledmere House. This trail was created by a group called the East Yorkshire Historic Churches Group. It's split into two parts: a southern tour and a planned northern tour.

The work on these churches was paid for by two important members of the Sykes family: Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet (who lived from 1772 to 1863) and his son, Sir Tatton Sykes, 5th Baronet (1826–1913). The 4th Baronet hired an architect named John Loughborough Pearson to work on churches in Garton on the Wolds, Kirkburn, Bishop Wilton, and Hilston in Holderness.

His son, the 5th Baronet, worked with other famous architects like C. Hodgson Fowler, G.E.Street, and Temple Moore. The 5th Baronet did even more than his father. He helped fix up or build 17 churches in the countryside between 1866 and 1913. This was a huge amount of work, more than anyone else did in Britain at that time!

Churches on the Southern Trail

This part of the trail includes many beautiful churches. They are all located in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Notable Churches on the Southern Trail

Here are some of the churches you can visit on the southern part of the trail:

Church Name	Location	Interesting Facts	Image
St Elgin	North Frodingham	This church was fixed up in stages between 1877 and 1891 by the 5th Baronet. The top part of its tall tower was designed by Temple Moore.
St Mary	Sledmere	Built between 1893 and 1898, this church was designed by Temple Moore. It cost a lot of money, about £60,000! It has beautiful stained glass windows.
St Mary	Cowlam	A small church from the Middle Ages. It was fixed up in 1852 by Mary E Sykes, who was the daughter of the 4th Baronet.
St Michael	Garton on the Wolds	This church is very old, dating back to around 1120. It was fixed up in 1856–57 with colorful stained glass designed by J.L.Pearson.
St Mary	Kirkburn	This is a Norman church, meaning it was built around the time of the Norman Conquest. It was fixed up in 1856–57, and a porch was added.
St Nicholas	Wetwang	Another church with Norman origins. Both the 4th and 5th Baronets helped fix it up between 1845 and 1902.
St Mary	Fridaythorpe	Fixed up in 1902–03, with a new side section designed by C. Hodgson Fowler. It also has stained glass windows.
St Mary	Thixendale	This church was built as part of a group of village buildings. They were all designed by G.E.Street between 1868 and 1870.
St Mary	Fimber	Built between 1869 and 1871. It was made to look like churches from the 1200s and replaced an older small chapel.
St Edith	Bishop Wilton	This church was carefully fixed up in 1858–59. It has very fancy decorations inside, all designed by J.L.Pearson.
St Mary	Wansford	This church was completely new, built between 1866 and 1868. It was designed by G.E.Street.

Other Sykes Churches to Explore

Some other churches that the Sykes family helped with are now in North Yorkshire because of changes to the county borders.

More Churches to Discover

Here are some more churches that were part of the Sykes family's amazing work:

Church Name	Location	Interesting Facts	Image
St Andrew	East Heslerton	This church was newly built in 1877. It was designed by G.E.Street and is now a very important historic building.
St Hilda	Sherburn, North Yorkshire	Another very important historic building. It was fixed up by architect C. Hodgson Fowler between 1909 and 1913.
St Andrew	Kirby Grindalythe	Fixed up between 1872 and 1875 by G.E.Street. It recently received a large grant to help preserve it.
St Mary	West Lutton	Located in a peaceful valley. The architect was G. E. Street, and it has beautiful stained glass windows.
St Peter	Helperthorpe	This church stands above the village. The old wooden church was taken down in 1872 and a new one built in 1875. Both the church and the vicar's house were designed by G.E.Street.
St Andrew	Weaverthorpe	A stone church with a Norman tower and a unique round staircase on the outside. It was fixed up by G.E.Street between 1870 and 1872 and is a very important historic building.
St Peter	Langtoft, East Riding of Yorkshire	This church was fixed up by C. Hodgson Fowler between 1900 and 1903, when a new side section was added.
St Margaret	Hilston	This church was probably built in the 1100s. It was taken down and rebuilt in 1861–62. Sadly, it was badly damaged by bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt again in 1956–57, reusing an old Norman doorway and some stained glass.