history of Kirkburn Church (2)

a partner church in the WOLDSBURN benefice

CHURCH AT KIRKBURN

continued

the norman font

corbel table, and windows. The church has a most interesting and unusual Norman font, a beautiful wooden screen probably by Street, and a reredos in marble stretching across the sanctuary with relief scenes by James Redfern. The whole Church is absolutely beautiful The church and its architecture is ably described by Nicolaus Pevsner and David Neave in the book “Yorkshire, York and the East Riding”. The Norman Tower, one of the oldest parts of the Church was restored during 2002/2003 at a cost of almost £250,000. The people of the church are planning further works of restoration.

But St. Mary’s Church is not just a church; it is part of the English Heritage. It was built more than 800 years ago by people without benefit of power tools, of earth moving equipment, of stone cutters, of fork-lift trucks, or of any modern equipment such as we have today. Every stone was hewn, carved and placed as a labour of love. The building was erected with toil and hard labour to the glory of God, with whom our ancestors, perhaps more so than the people of today, had a real, personal and committed relationship. And St. Mary’s Church has stood for 850 years, proudly proclaiming the reality of its reason for existence, standing firm amidst all the changes of the centuries, evidencing the pride of the people of those people of far distant days in their work and in their faith. St. Mary’s Church is a marker for this and for future generations, showing that age does not equate with inferiority, that our future was established in the past, and that tradition, heritage, and belief are standards of value not lightly to be set aside.

woldsburn

treasures of st. mary’s