Helmsley, All Saints

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

A 12^th century church with a wonderful series of 20^th century murals

Standing in the centre of the town, All Saints church has a long history. There has likely been a church on this site since at least the 10th century. The church has a hogback gravestone – an Anglo-Scandinavian grave cover unique to the North of England, Scotland and Ireland – which dates from around this time.

The church was refounded by the Normans in the mid-12^th century alongside the construction of Helmsley Castle. The oldest parts of the current church date from c.1170, however the church was significantly rebuilt between 1866 and 1869 by architects Banks & Barry. The interior was rearranged under Temple Moore in the early-20th century, and the parish collections include designs and plans for the new high altar and reredos screen. The work was designed by Leslie Moore under the supervision of Temple Moore. The altar and reredos were made by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson c.1930.

The church interior is covered in colourful murals which tell the history of Christianity in the North of England

The paintings in St Columba’s Chapel were created by George Ostrehan around 1896. They tell the stories of St Columba, St Aidan and St Oswald and how they brought Christianity to the North of England. There is also a depiction of St George slaying the dragon, above which are the names of Norse gods like Thor and Woden. This mural represents the triumph of Christianity over paganism.

The murals in the north aisle were designed by Reverend C.N. Gray and were painted by an artist called Gast in 1909. They portray the course of Christianity in this area in the form of trees, and suggest an important role for Helmsley in that development. The Patron Tree shows the different All Saints church patrons, beginning with Ulph in the 11^th century. The Rievaulx Tree shows the daughter houses of nearby Rievaulx Abbey. The York Tree shows the province of York and its dioceses. The last tree, The Church Tree, represents the unity of the Christian church despite the different branches.