St Mary's Church, Castlegate, York is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

former

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

History

The church is located in Castlegate, an historical street in the centre of

. It dates from the 11th century, but the current building is mostly 15th century.

Highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

John Nevison John Nevison (1639 – 4 May 1684), also known as William Nevison or Nevinson, was one of England's most notorious highwayman, highwaymen, a gentleman rogue supposedly nicknamed ''Swift Nick'' by Charles II of England, King Charles II after a r ...

, who was hanged on the

Knavesmire The Knavesmire is one of a number of large, marshy undeveloped areas within the city of York in North Yorkshire, England, which are collectively known as ''Strays of York, Strays''. Knavesmire, together with Hob Moor, comprises Micklegate Str ...

, in March 1684 was buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard. The church was restored between 1867 and 1870 when the east window was replaced, the church re-roofed and the east end parapet was renewed by

William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a British Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was bo ...

Organ

Details of the installation of the original organ are not known, but it was repaired at a cost of £45 by Hopkins of Heworth in 1884. A new organ was obtained in 1892 by Abbott & Co. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. When the church was declared redundant, the organ was moved to St Thomas’ Church, Heigham, Norfolk.

Exhibition space

The church was declared redundant in 1958 and converted by

George Pace George Gaze Pace, (31 December 1915 – 23 August 1975) was an English architect who specialised in ecclesiastical works. He was trained in London, and served in the army, before being appointed as surveyor to a number of cathedrals. Mo ...

and Ronald Sims for secular use. It now houses

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

exhibitions operated by

York Museums Trust York Museums Trust (YMT) is the charity responsible for operating some key museums and galleries in York, England. The trust was founded in 2002 to run York's museums on behalf of the City of York Council. It has seen an increase in annual fo ...

. It has hosted exhibitions by

Susan Stockwell Susan Stockwell is a contemporary British artist, described as a sculptor who makes subtly political work about materials and their inherent content and histories, with injustice and inequality as overarching themes. Her work addresses political, ...

Susan Aldworth Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and several ...

, and the

Aesthetica ''Aesthetica Magazine'' is a publication focusing on art and culture. Established in 2002, the magazine provides bi-monthly coverage of contemporary art across various disciplines, including visual arts, photography, architecture, fashion, an ...

Art Prize. In 2016 there were 6,906 visitors to exhibitions in the church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Castlegate Former Church of England church buildings Mary, Catlegate Church of England church buildings in York York Museums Trust