Temple Moore at East Moors, St Mary Magdalene & Kirkdale, St Gregory

Treasures from the Parish Chest: exploring North Yorkshire’s church history from archives to architecture

East Moors, St Mary Magdalene

Lying just over four miles due north of Helmsley, the church of East Moors, St Mary Magdalene is situated in an isolated spot surrounded by moors and woodland, up in the North York Moors. It is part of the ecclesiastical parish of Helmsley, the largest parish in Yorkshire covering an extensive rural area of scattered hamlets and farmsteads. The Reverend C.N. Gray, vicar of Helmsley from 1870-1913, commissioned the building of the church, which was opened in 1882, at a cost of c. £800. Some of the congregation travelled over three miles to attend services.

East Moors church by op47, CC-BY-SA/2.0

“The first view of Eastmoors from the brow of the hill on the Helmsley road is not the least beautiful sight in one of the most lovely of English parishes, and it well repays the trouble of a longish pilgrimage.”

Quote and illustration of church and school from ‘Eighteen Years’ Work in a Yorkshire Parish, a neighbour’s account of it’ by Reverend Newton [PR/HEL 29/1/1]

The Helmsley, All Saints’ parish record collection contains a range of material relating to both East Moors church (also written as Eastmoors) and school. This includes architectural drawings by both George Gilbert Scott Jnr and Temple Moore [PR/HEL].

Designs for the Church of St Mary Magdalene, East Moors, near Helmsley signed by George Gilbert Scott Jnr (1839-1897), undated (c.1880s), L-R: section & elevations [PR/HEL 30/4/4]; plan & south elevation [PR/HEL 30/4/3];long section, east elevation & east window [PR/HEL 30/4/1]

L-R: sections & west elevation signed by Gilbert Scott Jnr [PR/HEL 30/4/2]; plan & south elevation, unsigned [PR/HEL 30/4/5]; west front signed TLM (Temple Lushington Moore) [PR/HEL 30/4/9], all undated (c. 1880s)

These colourful drawings, in the Gothic Revival style, were some of the last produced by architect George Gilbert Scott Jnr (1839-1897). The building work was completed by his former student Temple Moore (1856-1920) in 1882. It is said that Poet Laureate, John Betjeman was so inspired by East Moors, he wrote his 1976 poem ‘Perp. Revival i’ the North’ about it.

The Gilbert Scott designs above show the church with a nave and an aisle to the south, and a stepped bell spirelet at the west end. As built, the aisle can be divided from the nave by wooden partitions and there is a painted wagon roof. The Temple Moore designs below, are for different ground plans and timber-framed elevations.

Plan, sections and elevations (nos. 1-3), signed by Temple L Moore, 2 John St., Hampstead, London, NW, undated [PR/HEL 30/4/6-8]

Six years after the building of the church, a schoolroom with master’s house was erected close by c. 1888-1889. This was designed by Temple Moore and built to house forty children at a cost of £400.

East Moors School plans, section and elevation by Temple Moore, undated (c.1888) [PR/HEL 30/5/1]

Kirkdale, St Gregory’s Minster

Lying four miles east of Helmsley, St Gregory’s Minster in Kirkdale is featured in one of Sophie Cawthorne’s pages, which references the work of Temple Moore. The Kirkdale parish record collection includes papers and architectural drawings relating to Temple Moore’s restoration of the church, covering the periods 1907-1912, and 1916-1920 [PR/KRD 7]. There is a faculty dated 1909 for works including the removal of the gallery and the fixing of new oak seats in the north and south aisles, and the reroofing of the nave, north aisle and vestry. Another faculty dated 1920 references a new oak chancel screen, and oak replacements for the existing deal choir stalls and altar rails.

Drawing of Kirkdale church in 1821 by the Revd Powell in his church guide book produced to raise funds for the restoration [PR/KRD 7/3/1]

Images of Temple Moore’s plans are reproduced below, along with some of the other documentary material that survives within the archive.

L-R: Sketch plan with elevation of church, showing new seating plan, sections through stalls, heating chamber etc. (No.1) [PR/KRD 7/4/1]; rough drawing showing details of new oak roofs of nave, north aisle and vestry etc. and details of new oak roofs, nave and north aisle (both labelled No.2) [PR/KRD 7/4/2-3]; all by Temple Moore, architect, 46 Well Walk, Hampstead, London, NW, 1907

Pencil drawings of Kirkdale church elevation in connection with restoration of chancel, and plan of chancel, unsigned and undated (early-20th century) [PR/KRD 7/4/4-5]

The November 1909 edition of the Kirkdale parish magazine records that the Bishop of Beverley consecrated the newly-restored work at the reopening service of the church on October 17th. The penultimate paragraph of the article states: “With regard to the work, we have heard nothing but unanimous and unstinted commendation. It seems difficult to realize that a church whose chief feature was a quaint ugliness, has, in a few months, become a building worthy of the name of a parish church.”

Faculty for the restoration of the church, 2 March 1909 [PR/KRD 7/1/1]; pages from the Kirkdale parish magazine, November 1909

The Kirkdale parish record archive also contains correspondence from Temple Moore to the Revd Powell dated 11 February 1912, acknowledging receipt of a payment for his work on Kirkdale church. Moore also writes on 16 February 1912: “I am very pleased to hear you are satisfied with the works.” By December 1916, the correspondence accompanying the submission of plans and revised plans for choir stalls appears to be written and signed by R Temple Moore, presumed to be Temple Moore’s son Richard, who assisted his father in his later work, until his untimely death in 1918.

L-R: Correspondence from Temple Moore to the Revd Powell dated 11 February 1912, acknowledging receipt of a payment for his work on Kirkdale church and dated 18 & 23 December 1916, signed by R Temple Moore accompanying drawings for the choir stalls [PR/KRD 7/4/14]

L-R: Written summary of proposals by Temple Moore for new chancel screen and choir stalls, 7 April 1917 with sketch for proposed chancel screen, elevation looking east by Temple Moore (No. II) annotated below: ‘suggested lettering for the chancel screen: SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS’ [PR/KRD 7/4/12]; Faculty for a chancel screen and replacement of choir stalls and altar rails, 22 June 1920 [PR/KRD 7/1/1]

Two drawings of proposed new choir stalls, from a roll of architectural drawings relating to proposed new choir stalls and chancel screen, by Temple Moore, 1917 [PR/KRD 7/4/12]

In 1919, Temple Moore took his son-in-law, Leslie Thomas Moore (1883-1957), into partnership and their practice was known as Temple Moore & Moore. However, this partnership was short-lived as Temple Moore died at his home, 46 Well Walk, Hampstead, London, aged 64 in June 1920.

‘The church of St Gregory, Kirkdale: Inch scale detail drawing of oak panelling to east wall and new oak altar etc’, by Temple Moore & Moore, 3 Raymond Buildings, Grays Inn, London, WC1, undated (c.1919) [PR/KRD 7/4/13]