St John the Baptist Church is the parish church of
Healaugh, a village west of
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 ...
and north of
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York.
Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...
in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, in England.
The church was originally dedicated to
Saint Helen. The chancel and south door are the oldest parts of the church, dating from about 1150. The north aisle and door are from the late 12th century, and there were various alterations to the church in the 15th century. The nave was rebuilt in the 16th century, and the tower may have been rebuilt at the same time. By the late 18th century, the church was in poor condition, and it was extensively renovated, with the tower probably again rebuilt. The upper stage of the tower was added in the 19th century. The church was
Grade II* 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, H ...
in 1985.
The church is built of
Magnesian Limestone
The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England dating from the Permian period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham northwards through Yorkshire and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between Ha ...
and has a
Welsh slate
The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then rapidly during the Industrial ...
roof. The nave is of three bays, with a north aisle and chapel.
Its south door is the most notable feature, with a round head with three orders of decoration, including carvings of various human figures, and human and animal heads.
There are various pointed windows, those in the chancel and chapel being
Perpendicular
In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ⟠...
. Inside, the columns are carved as clusters, with water-leaf capitals. The decoration of the chancel arch includes small animals. In the north chapel is an
alabaster
Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...
tomb, dating from the 16th century, depicting
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton
Sir Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton (1495 – 23 August 1568) was an English nobleman and a follower of King Henry VIII of England. He is best known for his victory at Solway Moss on 24 November 1542 for which he was given a barony.
Early life ...
and both his wives. The windows are 20th century and include a mention of
Hieu Hieu or Hiếu is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Hieu (abbess), Irish abbess
* Bùi Thanh Hiếu (b. 1972), Vietnamese human rights activist
* Bùi Văn Hiếu (b. 1989), Vietnamese footballer
* Hieu Van Le (b. 1954), 35th ...
, who founded nearby
Healaugh Park Priory. The clock dates from the later 18th century, and was rebuilt in 1911.
See also
*
Grade II* listed churches in North Yorkshire (district)
There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of the 152 churches and chapels in the unitary authority of North Yorkshire listed at Grade II*.
As there are 534 Grade II* listed buildings in the district, the 3 ...
*
Listed buildings in Healaugh, Selby
Healaugh, Selby, Healaugh is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the former Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It contains 14 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Healaugh, St John the Baptist
Church of England church buildings in North Yorkshire
Grade II* listed churches in North Yorkshire
John the Baptist Church