St John the Baptist Church, Kirk Hammerton

St John the Baptist Church, Kirk Hammerton is a Grade I listed Church of England church located in the village of Kirk Hammerton, North Yorkshire, England. It lies within the Diocese of Leeds in the Lower Nidderdale Parish.[1] The church has links with Kirk Hammerton Church of England Primary School in the village.

St John the Baptist Church, Kirk Hammerton
St John the Baptist Church, Kirk Hammerton
53.99356°N 1.29190°W
OS grid reference	SE4652455525
Location	Kirk Hammerton, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	John the Baptist
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Architectural type	Church
Style	Saxon Norman, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	approx 950AD
Administration
Parish	Kirk Hammerton
Deanery	Ripon
Archdeaconry	Richmond & Craven
Diocese	Leeds
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	M.P. Spurgeon
Laity
Organist(s)	Ian De Courcey Bayley

History

The church's origins are thought to be Saxon.[2] The church was originally dedicated to St Quentin.[3]

The Saxon part of the church, which now forms the Lady Chapel is believed to have been built in the 9th century, with the tower being added in around 950AD.[4]

There were alterations carried out around 1150 and 1834. In 1892 the building was significantly extended.[4] The latter works were undertaken by Mr H Fowler of Durham on behalf of the then Lord of the Manor, E.W. Stanyforth.[5] The church was listed as a Grade I building in 1966 (EHB ID 330646).[5]

Architecture

Due to the alterations and extensions, there is mixture of architectural styles and effects within the interior. The walls of the south aisle are whitewashed, whereas the north aisle is bare stone. Both arcades area also of varying styles and height. The vaulting is timber. The interior is richly decorated in a Pre-Raphaelite style that was added at the time of the Victorian extension. The door to the chapel is of Saxon origin and there is evidence of another doorway that has been filled.[6] The west door is Saxon in origin, but the south door has had the right side restored, though the remainder is Saxon. The font dates from the reign of King Charles II.[3] Some of the stained glass windows were made by Charles Kempe.

South Chapel

There are a mix of styles within the chapel as demonstrated by the small, but deep set lancet windows that are early English, compared to the large Norman window that is dated around 1150. There is also a sedilla and a piscina on one of the walls.[6]

Tower

The square tower on the south side of the church remains largely as built around 950 AD. There are two sets of Mullioned windows on each side (except the east), one above the other, below the stone coursing that marks the belfry. There are two bells in the belfry and the roof is a shallow pyramid.[4][5][6]

Churchyard

The Church lies atop a small mound located at the junction of Chapel Street, Church Street and Old Church Green. The boundary is made of brick with two entrances and contains many established trees. The one on Church Street is not gated, whereas the entrance on Chapel Street has a Lychgate. Amongst the graves in the churchyard are those of village men that died during the nearby Battle of Marston Moor.[3] There are approximately 166 marked graves listing 367 names in the Churchyard.[7]

References

1. "Church Of England Details". Retrieved 31 December 2015.
2. "Archdeacon in the dales", Janet Henderson, 2 December 2012
3. "The Church". Kirk Hammerton Parish. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
4. Bulmer's Topography, History and Directory (private & Commercial) of North Yorkshire with Map, Published in 1890. Salisbury: S&N Publishing. 2002 [1890]. pp. 875–876. ISBN 1-86150-299-0.
5. "Listed Building". Retrieved 31 December 2015.
6. "Great English Churches". Retrieved 31 December 2015.
7. "Graves". Retrieved 31 December 2015.