St Mary's Church, Roecliffe
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Roecliffe, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Roecliffe
, North Yorkshire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
architect R. H. Sharp. The stone used in its construction came from an old Roman
quarry in the grounds of Aldborough Manor, and from a quarry at Cotgrove, while the stone for the internal arch was from Burton Leonard
. In the 1870s large buttress
es were added to the north and south walls. St Mary's was declared redundant on 1 April 1983, and was vested
in the Trust on 5 June 1986.
with a red tile roof and is in Neo-Norman
style. Its plan consists of a single cell comprising a three-bay
nave
, a shallow chancel
, and a northeast vestry
. On the west gable
is a bellcote with a pitched roof
and a single bell. The doorway is on the south side in the westernmost bay and consists of a round arch with two orders supported by a pair of columns on each side. There are three buttresses on the south wall and two on the north wall. All the windows are round-headed with roll-moulding
, those in the chancel being narrower than elsewhere. The west window is flanked by colonnettes. The roof is barrel vault
ed. Five black-and-white marble
steps, formerly in York Minster
, lead up to the chancel.
is Jacobean
in style and was moved here from Holy Trinity Church, Hull
. The 15th-century vestry door, containing carved tracery
, came from York Minster. The source of the other woodwork is unknown. This includes a panelled
reading desk, pews dated 1619, and linenfold
panelling on the east wall. The pews are arranged along three walls in the style of a college chapel. The communion table dates from the 17th century. The doorway leading to the vestry has an ogee
head, and the vestry contains more early carved woodwork. A frieze
contains biblical scenes, including the Nativity
, the Flight into Egypt
, David
and Goliath, and Salome
. Other carving in the vestry depicts the heads of putti
, and classical
capitals
. In the corner of the vestry is a round-arched fireplace, its voussoir
s crudely carved with human faces and animals.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the village of Roecliffe
Roecliffe
Roecliffe is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the A1 road motorway and 1 mile west of Boroughbridge....
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
.
History
The church was built in 1843 for Andrew Lawson of Aldborough Manor. It was designed by the YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
architect R. H. Sharp. The stone used in its construction came from an old Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
quarry in the grounds of Aldborough Manor, and from a quarry at Cotgrove, while the stone for the internal arch was from Burton Leonard
Burton Leonard
Burton Leonard is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, about six miles south of Ripon. The village is typical of the area and centres round a green, with two pubs, a church, a small primary school, a cricket field and a village shop. Buses run daily from...
. In the 1870s large buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es were added to the north and south walls. St Mary's was declared redundant on 1 April 1983, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Trust on 5 June 1986.
Structure
St Mary's is built in limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with a red tile roof and is in Neo-Norman
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style. Its plan consists of a single cell comprising a three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, a shallow chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, and a northeast vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. On the west gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
is a bellcote with a pitched roof
Pitched roof
A pitched roof is a roof for which one or more roof surfaces is pitched more than 10 degrees, and alternately a roof with two slopes that meet at a central ridge. Some definitions are even more general, including any roof with a sloping surface or surfaces....
and a single bell. The doorway is on the south side in the westernmost bay and consists of a round arch with two orders supported by a pair of columns on each side. There are three buttresses on the south wall and two on the north wall. All the windows are round-headed with roll-moulding
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
, those in the chancel being narrower than elsewhere. The west window is flanked by colonnettes. The roof is barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
ed. Five black-and-white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
steps, formerly in York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
, lead up to the chancel.
Fittings and furniture
The church contains much early woodwork moved from elsewhere. The octagonal pulpitPulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
in style and was moved here from Holy Trinity Church, Hull
Holy Trinity Church, Hull
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican parish church in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-History:It is the largest parish church in England when floor area is the measurement for comparison...
. The 15th-century vestry door, containing carved tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
, came from York Minster. The source of the other woodwork is unknown. This includes a panelled
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
reading desk, pews dated 1619, and linenfold
Linenfold
Linenfold is a simple style of relief carving used to decorate wood panelling with a design "imitating window tracery", "imitating folded linen" or "stiffly imitating folded material". Originally from Flanders, the style became widespread across Northern Europe in the 14th to 16th centuries...
panelling on the east wall. The pews are arranged along three walls in the style of a college chapel. The communion table dates from the 17th century. The doorway leading to the vestry has an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
head, and the vestry contains more early carved woodwork. A frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
contains biblical scenes, including the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, the Flight into Egypt
Flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area...
, David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
and Goliath, and Salome
Salome
Salome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
. Other carving in the vestry depicts the heads of putti
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...
, and classical
Classical order
A classical order is one of the ancient styles of classical architecture, each distinguished by its proportions and characteristic profiles and details, and most readily recognizable by the type of column employed. Three ancient orders of architecture—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—originated in...
capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. In the corner of the vestry is a round-arched fireplace, its voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s crudely carved with human faces and animals.