St George's Roman Catholic church is located in the centre of the city 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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on George Street in the

Diocese of Middlesbrough The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese based in Middlesbrough, England and is part of the province of Liverpool. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which ...

. The Church was designed by

Joseph Hansom Joseph Aloysius Hansom (26 October 1803 – 29 June 1882) was a British architect working principally in the Gothic Revival style. He invented the Hansom cab and founded the eminent architectural journal, '' The Builder'', in 1843. Career ...

and was the first pro-Cathedral of the

Diocese of Beverley The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beverley is an historical diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It took its name after the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, although the episcopal see was located in the city of York. ...

History

The church takes its title from the medieval church of St George at Beanhills which was suppressed in 1547. The churchyard may still be seen opposite the present Catholic church and is the supposed burial place of

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...

, the notorious 18th-century highwayman. A building fund of £1,200 had been raised to build a new church in York. This was to replace a brick chapel that was situated in Little Blake Street (now

Duncombe Place Duncombe Place is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was first mentioned in 1346 as Lop Lane, and it later became known as Little Blake Street. Initially a very narrow street, the eastern entrance to St Leonard ...

). St George's was chiefly built to serve the immigrant Irish Catholic population of

Walmgate Walmgate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. During the Medieval period, the street was the site of a seafissh and cattle market. Walmgate Bar, was involved in the Siege of York in 1644, during the First English Civil War. Durin ...

. Opened in September 1850, it served as the pro-Cathedral of the Diocese of Beverley until St Wilfrid's opened in 1864.Geddes, Geoffrey. "Joseph Aloysius Hansom (1803-1882)", York Civic Trust
/ref>

Architecture

The church was designed by

and his brother,

Charles Francis Hansom Charles Francis Hansom (27 July 1817 – 30 November 1888) was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival style. Career He was born of a Roman Catholic family in York. He was the brother of Jose ...

in the Early Decorated style. The foundation stone was laid on 25 October 1849 and the building completed the following September. Joseph Hansom also designed the presbytery in 1848. The altar is of Caen stone and was moved forward from its original position in 1972. Another notable feature is the Rood Screen, a fine wood carving of Flemish work now positioned over the sacristy door. The East Window is based upon a Pugin design and the memorial windows of the Lady Chapel were made & decorated by the Barrett family, and financed by the Palmes family of Naburn, the Dolmans of Pocklington and the Coxes of Herefordshire.

Interior decoration

File:StGeorgesChurchYork.jpg, File:StGeorgesChurchYork2.jpg, File:StGeorgesChurchYork3.jpg, *Reredos *Altar *Lady Chapel *Stations of the Cross

Current Parish Priests

* Very Rev Canon Jeremiah Twomey ''Parish Priest''

Previous Parish Priests

* *Rev Fr. Patrick Hartnett *Rev Fr. Timothy Bywater *Rev Fr. Austin O'Neal *Very Rev. Canon Alan Sheridan

Organ

The organ was restored in 2004 and is the oldest in the city of

Schools

Associated with the church were Primary (mixed) & Secondary (boys) schools. The Primary school was established in 1852St. George's Roman Catholic Primary School
/ref> and relocated in 1977 to

Fishergate Fishergate is a street and surrounding area of York, England. History Fishergate runs along a strip of slightly raised ground, east of the River Ouse. Archaeological investigations have found evidence of prehistoric occupation, before the ...

whilst the Secondary school closed in 1985. Both were located in Margaret Street.

References

External links

Official SiteSt George's RC SchoolSt George's Primary & Secondary Schools Ex-PupilsRoman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough
{{DEFAULTSORT:George's York Roman Catholic churches in York