ESW

Over the last 18 months we have been visiting some of the lovely churches in the East Riding of Yorkshire and I have eventually put them on the web here:
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ing/index.html

The East Riding is very much the ignored bit of Yorkshire but it does have some lovely countryside with the coast and the Yorkshire Wolds. It has many attractive small villages. It has some superb churches.

Beverley Minster
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ter/index.html
is considered to be architecturally better than York Minster with some of the best Gothic Architecture in Europe. Chances are you will have the building to to yourselves and there is no entry fee.

Holy Trinity Church
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ity/index.html
in Kingston-upon-Hull features in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest parish church in England. It isn’t just a big building it is a lovely building inside with some beautiful woodwork and a stunning chancel.

Howden Minster
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...den/index.html
was one of the great Minsters until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The townsfolk continued to use the nave as their parish church, bricking off the east end which was left to fall into ruin, providing wonderful photo opportunities. The medieval woodwork was destroyed in a disastrous fire in 1929 and was replaced by Robert Thompson, the Mouse Man. There is a trail around the church to find all his signature mice.

Many of the churches have Norman origins and still retain their carved Norman doorways and chancel Arches. Cowlam,
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...lam/index.html
Kirkburn,
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...urn/index.html
and Langtoft
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...oft/index.html
have beautifully carved Norman fonts.

From the outside, the church at Garton-on-the-Wold
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...lds/index.html
looks like a stark Norman Church. Inside, every surface is covered with exquisite Pre-Raphaelite style wall paintings. It is a beautiful and jaw dropping experience. On a sunny day the paintings glow.

The spire of St Mary’s Church
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ton/index.html
in South Dalton towers above the surrounding landscape. The church is mid C19th and cost a staggering £25,000 to build, most of which was spent on the elaborate stone and wood carvings.

bilboburgler

Great write ups ESW, but I doubt there are any people in the area that talk about "Kingston-upon-Hull" its "Hull"

ESW

Yes, even on the south side of the river we always call it Hull, although the official name is Kingston-upon-Hull. Similarly Barton-upon-Humber is always called Barton locally.

stevelyon

Come on how can the east side be ignored when you have then likes of Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay? Then you have the walk from delightful Filey to Bridlington, an amazing route? If it is ignored, then its their loss.

ESW

I know, I know. These were all visited on day trips from Scunthorpe. Hopefully Whitby with its abbey and the lovely old St Mary's Church will be added next spring, as well as Robin Hood's Bay. I did manage to visit Bridlington Priory.

This isn't a definitive list, but very much a work in progress. Other places will be added as I visit and photogrpah them.

Guy18

Thanks so much for this post and your website. I adore being able to pay a cyber-visit to these lovely, obscure churches! Magical!

ESW

Churches, apart from the well known cathedrals, are very much the forgotten part of our heritage. We love visiting them and there is always a sense of excitement when we push open the door as you never know what you will find. Some are more interesting than others, but rarely have we said 'that wasn't worth visiting'.

Saraho

Thank you, those are lovely churches. I regret not visiting Beverley when I was in York on my last trip. My gg-grandmother's family were Beverley's from the town of Beverley.

ESW

Beverley Minster is wonderful and I always feel uplifted whenever I visit. So often I've had the place to myself and on a sunny day the white stone glows. Do try and visit if you have a chance. Unlike York, entry is free and there is a small and free carpark opposite the north door for visitors. Beverley itself is a very attractive small market town with a lot of character and well repays a visit. It's a pity more forgeign visitors don't get there. St Mary's Church at the other end of the town is also worth a visit.

bilboburgler

I used to visit Beverley Minster when I worked nearby, there are more than a few tombs of lost Europeans who seemed to have died in mysterious circumstances, (think Hamlet and the two diplomats sent to UK with "please kill me" in a note).

Beverley used to be a "sanctuary" where out-laws (literally people who had "decided" to leave the legal rules of England) could rest up before catching a boat out of the country and other types avoiding the King's justice or looking for the Church's justice. This worked well because Beverley was a plague infected island in the middle of a swamp and you can still see some of the stone markers that indicate the boundaries of the area.

Beverley still has a few bits of old wall left.

ESW

Thank you for all the extra information. I knew about sanctuary (and Frith's chair) but not that Beverley was a 'plague infested island'. It's obviously time I made another visit...

soogies

Thank you, ESW! I really enjoyed your post and the links. I do genealogy research and my MIL is from Hull. I spent a wonderful week in York a few years ago and this brought back memories and gave me some new clues to research.

Fra_Diavolo

Thanks for this latest installment in the series, one of my favorites on this board.