St Stephen's Church is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...

of Acomb, a suburb of

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

in England. A church has lain on the site since the Saxon period, and some remains of the Saxon church were uncovered in 1830. By the time of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, it was a possession of York Minster. In 1228, it was transferred to the Treasurer of the Minster, and a vicarage was built in 1313. It was transferred to the Crown in 1547. St Stephen's Church, Acomb

By 1830, the church was ruinous, so from 1831 to 1832 it was rebuilt, to a design by G. T. Andrews. It seated 338 worshippers, partly in two galleries. Cruciform in plan, it was constructed in

Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, east of the Great North Road, north-east of Leeds, and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the ...

limestone with a slate roof. The original

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

was retained, but it was rebuilt in 1851. A

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

was added in 1889, and the following year, an east window was added. In the 20th-century, a porch was added, as was a lean-to on the north wall. In 1848, it was described as "an elegant structure with a graceful spire, and, standing on the highest ground in the vicinity of York, thas a very picturesque appearance". The Royal Commission on Historic Monuments was more critical, describing it as "ostensibly in the Early English style, ut itshows no real appreciation of mediaeval architecture". The roof was rebuilt in 1952, and in 1954, a peal of bells was installed, cast in 1770 for

St Mary Bishophill Senior ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

. In 1983, the building was

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The church suffered a fire in 1992 but was restored soon afterwards, and many of its fixtures and fittings survived. These include stained glass, the oldest of which was made by Edmund Gyles in 1662, depicted the arms of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

. The arms of William IV are displayed on a panel in the porch.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Acomb, St Stephen

St Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

Church of England church buildings in York Grade II listed churches in York 19th-century Church of England church buildings