Now! Then! Augustus Duncombe, dean of York, reopens St Helen’s, Stonegate, York, following a thoroughly Victorian restoration

16 September 1858: Augustus Duncombe, dean of York, reopens St Helen’s, Stonegate, York, following a thoroughly Victorian restoration

York Herald. 1858/09/18. Restoration and Re-opening of St. Helen’s church. York. Get it:

Excerpt

The dean then proceeded to observe that they had met that day to set apart, for God’s perpetual service, that house which was now reopened for divine worship. Here God’s name would be praised, and his word preached. Here the sorrowing in spirit would be comforted. Here the joyful in heart and the prosperous might offer their praises and thanksgiving to the giver of all good. Here the holy sacraments of Christ’s church would be again administered and received. The building, now again dedicated to Almighty God, had become seriously dilapidated, and scarcely fit for the celebration of divine service. The walls had given way, and its foundations were no longer safe. Those of the congregation accustomed to worship there would remember the low, underdrawn ceiling, the damp and uneven floor, and the unwholesome atmosphere. Contrast with these things the favourable change now presented. The shapely and ill-arranged pews had become uniform and open, no longer encouraging listless devotion or ineffectual prayer, for it had been well said, “High pews help sleep and hinder prayer.” From the floor of the church if they cast their eyes upwards, they would behold a vaulted roof entirely new, enclosing a nave and two aisles, and a small and beautiful chancel for which they were indebted to the munificence and exertions of one individual. In fact, they had now the church restored and well arranged, presenting good proportions, correct judgement and taste, and reflecting credit on the architect as a specimen of restoration and extension. He need not remind those present that all this had not been done without much labour, time, and expense. It had, indeed, proved a much more costly matter than was at first anticipated, and the result was that a large deficiency at that moment existed in the funds. He had attended to appeal to them in behalf of this deficiency, and he felt confident that he should not appeal in vain. He asked them not to stay the hand of private liberality, but to contribute of their substance — the rich of their gold, and the poor of their pence, thereby imitating those holy persons of old who gave their vestments, their gold, and their jewels for the work of God.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

Details of the church and its renovation:

The church, though chiefly remarkable for its elegant octagonal lantern, is otherwise interesting architecturally and historically. It is mainly of the workmanship of the 13th and 14th centuries, but its fine old font of Norman character bears witness to an earlier structure having once occupied the site. In plan, the building consists of a nave and chancel, with north and south aisles to each, and, in common with other of the York churches, presents the peculiarity of having no architectural distinction between the nave and the chancel, the division in former days having only been made by a wooden screen. The aisles of the chancel formed chapels, which were respectively dedicated to St. Mary and St. Michael, and were similarly separated by screens from the nave aisles and the chancel.

During the reign of King Edward the Sixth, an act of Parliament was passed for destroying nearly one-half of the parish churches of York, and uniting the parishes with others adjoining. This church was one of those included in the act, the parish having by it been united, together with that of St. Wilfred, in Blakestreet, to St. Michael-le-Belfrey. The church accordingly appears to have been unroofed and allowed to fall into ruin, and at this time it doubtless was that the portion of the churchyard next Stonegate passed into lay hands, and became covered with buildings. In the following reign, however, the desolate condition of the church seems to have touched the feelings of the parishioners, and they asked for and obtained leave to restore their church, and again to become separated from the parish of St. Michael-le-Belfrey. Many things seem to show that the work of repair was then conducted in rather a hasty and careless manner, and subsequent ignorant and injudicious alterations brought the church into an unseemly state, not often equalled. The screens dividing the chancel and its aisles had been destroyed; the area of the church was filled up with high square pews; the pulpit, in the middle of the chancel, was perched upon an arch which bestrided the central passage; a vestry obtruded itself into the body of the church; a gallery, with the organ, blocked up the western window; and a flat plaster ceiling cut off the heads of the end windows, besides most inconveniently reducing the internal height of the building.

Independently of these deformities, the church had fallen into a most seriously dilapidated condition. The north and south walls bulged outwards in a threatening manner, the east wall was also in a very tottering state, and the timbers of the roof were found for the most part to be rotten at the ends. The works of restoration needed have, as we have already intimated, consequently been of a most extensive character. The north, south, and east walls have been taken down and rebuilt; the church has been entirely new roofed; and the unsightly square pews, and gallery, have given place to low, uniform, open sittings, beneath which a layer of concrete has been laid over the entire area of the church. The walls have been rebuilt with scrupulous regard to the character of the original work, and are, so far as possible, of the old materials, and stand upon the old foundations. There is an exception, however, at the east end, where an extension of the building has taken place, by which an extra length of ten feet has been given to the body of the church, by the addition of a sanctuary to the chancel; and a new vestry has also been erected at this end, in place of the one which formerly projected most inconveniently into the south aisle. The new sanctuary has been built to correspond with the remainder of the structure. It is lighted by three windows, those to the north and south being of two lights each, with a cinquefoiled circle in the head, and that at the east end of four lights, having the head filled in with a combination of quatrefoils. Beneath the east window is an arcade of seven small trefoil headed arches, resting upon shafts with foliaged capitals, and forming the recedos of the altar. The new roofs are of deal, are open to the framing, and stained and varnished; they are supported upon a succession of arched braces, rising from stone corbels, which are carved as heads, etc. A slight difference occurs between the framing of the roof over the nave and the chancel, and the division is marked by a wooden arch of ornamental character, springing from corbelled shafts. The whole of the sittings are also of deal, stained of a light colour, and varnished. The pulpit, on the north side of the chancel, is of oak, carved with panelled tracery at the sides, of varied design, and stands upon a stone plinth. At the opposite side is a reading desk; and beyond, on either side, a stall for the officiating clergyman. The ancient altar rails have been restored in a skilful manner, and are now replaced; they are of handsomely carved oak, and though not strictly in character with the remaining work, are, nevertheless, very good of their kind, and well deserving of preservation.

The windows are glazed for the most part with cathedral glass, and the few shields of arms which formerly appeared have been carefully reinserted. The beautiful stained glass window of four lights, which before the restoration was at the east end of the church, has been removed to the western extremity, immediately above the entrance into the sacred fabric. This change of position is a great improvement, as in the present situation the mellowed tints of the coloured glass are seen to better advantage than at the east end. The glass of which this window is composed is not all of one period. It is of a mixed character, containing some beautiful fragments of old coloured glass intermingled with glass of more modern date. The general effect of the window, however, is very pleasing and satisfactory, and it is a great ornament to the church. There are three windows in the chancel. That in the centre, which has four lights, is filled in with cathedral glass, whilst the tracery above is of beautiful stained glass, from the establishment of Mr. Hardman, of Birmingham. The central portion of the tracery contains the Agnus Dei, which is surrounded by the evangelistic symbols and adoring angels, the general effect of the design being extremely pleasing. It is intended at some future period to have the four lights of the window composed of stained glass as well as the tracery. The subjects considered as appropriate for the two central lights are representations of the Resurrection and Ascension of our Saviour, and in the two outer compartments the Manifestation of Jesus Christ to Mary Magdalene in the garden, and also to the disciples at the village of Emmaus, when our blessed Lord took bread, and blessed it and brake, and gave to them. The south window of the chancel is of stained glass, and is the gift of Mr. Henry Sotheran, of Coneystreet, in this city. He has presented it as a memorial window to his late grandfather, Mr. H. Sotheran, who for many years was a resident in the parish of St. Helen’s. This window is likewise the workmanship of Mr. Hardman, of Birmingham, the two lights containing figures of the evangelists St. Luke and St. John, and with each figure is associated the proper emblem surrounded with foliage, St. Luke having a winged bull and St. John an eagle with expanded wings. In the head of the window is a small figure of the Redeemer bearing in one hand a sceptre and in the other a globe. At the base of the window is the following inscription: “In piam memoriam Henrici Sotheran, bibliopolae Eboracencis, nati apud Ampleforth, hane fenestram posuit nepos Henricus Sotheran. MDCCCLVIII.” It is hoped that eventually the opposite window will also be filled in with coloured glass of similar design as the other, representing the two remaining evangelists, St. Matthew and St. Mark. The windows generally are glazed with cathedral glass with a coloured margin, and impart great richness to the chancel.

The gas fittings in the church are of ecclesiastical design, and are the workmanship of Mr. Skidmore, of Coventry. The nave is fitted up with standards of polished brass and iron, the nave being painted blue and brown, each standard having branching lights. The chancel is illuminated with a corona consisting of four branches having 24 lights. Including the standards and the corona, the total number of gas burners is 88, which shed a sufficient and uniform light in all parts of the church.

A beautiful crimson velvet cover for the communion table, with cushions, two faldstools, and pede cloth within the communion rails; also cushions for the use of communicants, along with a folio copy of the Holy Scriptures, a Book of Common Prayer for the reading desk, and two copies of that portion of the Book of Common Prayer used in the communion service, have been presented to the church by a clergyman of this city, who, like the gentleman referred to above, desires no publicity giving to his name.

The pew accommodation of the church now amounts to 300 sittings, an addition of seventy having been secured by the restoration.

The old organ, we should observe, was found to be in such a defective slate, on being taken down, that all idea of restoring it to its former position was abandoned, and for the present the church is without an instrument of this description. As soon, however, as funds can be obtained for the purpose, a new organ will be introduced, a place for one having been left on the north side of the chancel.

The restoration has been brought to a satisfactory completion under the direction of William Hey Dykes, Esq., architect, of this city, and the undermentioned tradesmen of York, who were employed on the work, have faithfully fulfilled their several contracts, namely, Mr. Kettlewell, masonry; Mr. Brown, carpenters’ work; Mr. Walker, bricklaying and plastering; Mr. Noton, plumbing and glazing; Mr. Hodgson, ironmongers’ work; Mr. Lupton, painting and staining; and Mr. Bradley, carving.

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Original

The dean then proceeded to observe that they had met that day to set apart, for God’s perpetual service, that house which was now re-opened for divine worship. Here God’s name would be praised, and his word preached. Here the sorrowing in spirit would be comforted. Here the joyful in heart and the prosperous might offer their praises and thanksgiving to the giver of all good. Here the holy sacraments of Christ’s church would be again administered and received. The building, now again dedicated to Almighty God, had become seriously dilapidated, and scarcely fit for the celebration of divine service. The walls had given way, and its foundations were no longer safe. Those of the congregation accustomed to worship there would remember the low, underdrawn ceiling, the damp and uneven floor, and the unwholesome atmosphere. Contrast with these things the favourable change now presented. The shapely and ill-arranged pews had become uniform and open, no longer encouraging listless devotion or ineffectual prayer, for it had been well said, “High pews help sleep and hinder prayer.” From the floor of the church if they cast their eyes upwards, they would behold a vaulted roof entirely new, enclosing a nave and two aisles, and a small and beautiful chancel for which they were indebted to the munificence and exertions of one individual. In fact, they had now the church restored and well arranged, presenting good proportions, correct judgement and taste, and reflecting credit on the architect as a specimen of restoration and extension. He need not remind those present that all this had not been done without much labour, time, and expense. It had, indeed, proved a much more costly matter than was at first anticipated, and the result was that a large deficiency at that moment existed in the funds. He had attended to appeal to them in behalf of this deficiency, and he felt confident that he should not appeal in vain. He asked them not to stay the hand of private liberality, but to contribute of their substance — the rich of their gold, and the poor of their pence, thereby imitating those holy persons of old who gave their vestments, their gold, and their jewels for the work of God.

376 words.