St Mary's Church, Whitby
St Mary's Church, Whitby St Mary | |
---|---|
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Heritage designation | Grade I |
Designated | 23 February 1954 |
Architectural type | Church |
Administration | |
Province | Province of York |
Diocese | Diocese of York |
Archdeaconry | Cleveland |
Deanery | Whitby |
Parish | Whitby |
Clergy | |
Rector | Reverend Michael Gobbett |
The Church of Saint Mary is an
Architecture
One of the oldest parts of the church is the
The three-stage west tower has a squat appearance, its corners supported by flat buttresses and its
Interior
The nave and transept have 19th-century galleries accessed by internal and external staircases and a three-decker
The church includes a memorial to Lieutenant-General Peregrine Lascelles (1685-1772), who served in a number of 18th-century wars, including the Battle of Prestonpans in Scotland in 1745.[5]
Threat from cliff erosion
Two significant land slips due to broken drainage and torrential rain, the first occurring in November 2012, have placed the churchyard, and properties below the cliff, in significant jeopardy.[6] Whitby town councillor Steve Smith stated the church was in no danger, having been built on solid rock. Human remains have fallen onto the street below, and pathways on the cliff-side of the church have been closed.[7]
Popular culture
Bram Stoker used St Mary's Church graveyard as the setting for a scene in his novel, Dracula:[1]
For a moment or two I could see nothing, as the shadow of a cloud obscured St. Mary's Church. Then as the cloud passed I could see the ruins of the Abbey coming into view; and as the edge of a narrow band of light as sharp as a sword-cut moved along, the church and churchyard became gradually visible... It seemed to me as though something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone, and bent over it. What it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell.
References
- ^ a b c d "St Mary's Church, Whitby". England Sacred sited. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ "St Mary, Whitby". The Church of England. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Parish Church of St Mary (1055865)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ a b c Page, William, ed. (1923). Parishes: Whitby. A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2 (Victoria County History). British History Online. pp. 506–528. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Whitby". Senchus. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ Wainwright, Martin (9 January 2013). "* News * UK news Whitby church under threat from landslips". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ "Whitby landslip exposes human bones at 'Dracula graveyard'". BBC News. BBC. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
External links
- Media related to St Mary's Church, Whitby at Wikimedia Commons