Description

SE 18 NW MIDDLEHAM KIRKGATE
(west side)

9/104 Church of St Mary and
St Alkelda
15.2.67 (Formerly listed under General)

GV I

Church. C14 and C15. Rubble, roof not visible. West tower, nave and
chancel with aisles, south porch. 3-storey embattled tower with stepped
Diagonal buttreses to west. 3-light Perpendicular west window. To south,
single-chamfered doorway to stairs, 3-light vents above, small first-floor
window with trefoil head. On all 4 sides, belfry openings of 2 lights with
cinquefoil heads. Corner finials. C19 south porch. Altered Decorated
south doorway with roll-moulding to jambs and single-chamfered pointed arch
with label. Above, C14 relief sculpture of the Crucifixion with flanking
figures. C19 priest's door. To south nave and chancel aisles, 5 two- and
3-light windows with trefoil tracery under flat heads with hoodmoulds.
Blank parapets with gargoyles. Clerestory windows of similar pattern. To
north nave aisle three 2-light windows with trefoil tracery under flat heads
with hoodmoulds. Parapets and clerestory as on south. North chancel aisle
with C19 doorway to vestry, 4-light window and chimney. 2-light Decorated
windows to west of north and south aisles. 3-light east window with
reticulated tracery to south aisle. 4-light chancel east window with
curvilinear tracery; C19 Decorated window to vestry. Interior: 4-bay
Decorated arcades of 2 chamfered orders with octagonal piers on tall
broached bases and simple capitals. Matching tower arch, and wide chancel
arch. Semicircular arch to south chancel aisle, C19 arch to vestry. C14
font with octagonal coarse gritstone bowl on octagonal shaft resting on
round base, and tall Perpendicular canopy. On north wall of tower, grave
cover of Robert Thornton, Abbot of Jervaulx, died 1510. On south wall of
tower, early C18 benefaction boards and brass of 1734. In north aisle,
window lintels are re-used medieval grave covers, also Celtic-type cross-
head of c1920 formerly on Market Cross. In north aisle west window,
fragments of stained glass including scene of martyrdom of St Alkelda. In
south aisle, C18 altar table. South wall: monument to Dean Edward Place,
died 1785. In nave floor part of Saxon cross-shaft with interlaced carving.
Chancel has C19 stencilled wall painting. Middleham Church was elevated to
a collegiate body with a Dean, 6 chaplains, 4 clerks and 6 choristers in
1477 by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III, its a royal
foundation it survived the Dissolution, although the prebendal appointments
lapsed. An attempt was made to revive them in 1814 but the post of Dean was
replaced by one of Rector in 1840. VCH, i, pp 255-6. J M Melhuish, The
College of King Richard III Middleham, 1983.

Listing NGR: SE1262887878

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Mary and St Alkelda at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17538303

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)