York Historic Environment Record

Parish church. Late C15 on C13 foundations; early C18 arcades, south wall and partial reconstruction of north wall. Chancel 1889, enlarged 1908; vestry 1898, converted to South Chapel 1908; organ chamber 1907, new vestry 1908. Late C19 and early C20 work by G Fowler Jones of York and JF Doyle of Liverpool. MATERIALS: magnesian limestone ashlar with tiled and lead roofs. PLAN: aisled nave of 6 unequal bays; 2-bay chancel with organ chamber and vestry to north, chapel to south; west tower and second vestry to north west. EXTERIOR: buttressed east end has window of 5 cinquefoiled lights and panel traceried head in 2-centred arch of voussoirs. Vestry and chapel east ends are gabled: vestry has window of 3 trefoiled lights in 2-centred head; chapel 3-light window with panel traceried 4-centred head. North side: chancel obscured behind vestry and organ chamber. Vestry has pointed panelled door and two trefoil headed windows with square leaded lights: organ chamber two trefoiled windows with 4-centred heads. Nave on moulded plinth, divided by 2-stage buttresses. Arched north doorway is of 3 continuously moulded orders and has C18 panelled door with original furniture. Above is a reset C15 vaulted niche with crocketed pinnacles containing a standing sculpted figure, presumably St Olave. Windows are of 3 lights with panel tracery in hollow-chamfered 3- or 4-centred openings and coved hoodmoulds: two easternmost are re-used. Westernmost window is square-headed, of 2 trefoiled lights. Embattled parapet with gargoyles and crocketed pinnacles. South side: chancel has three windows with traceried 2-centred heads. 1-storey chapel in front has doorway with shaped head and two windows of 2 trefoiled lights with panel tracery in 2-centred heads. Nave divided by 3-stage buttresses: earlier footings visible beneath chamfered plinth. C18 south door is panelled, with 2-centred head and original furniture including knocker, in double chamfered arched opening. Three windows are of 3 lights with panel traceried 3-centred heads, one has 3 cinquefoiled lights in 4-centred head, all hollow-chamfered. Westernmost window is of 2 cinquefoiled lights in splayed surround. Chancel has moulded eaves string beneath embattled parapet with crocketed pinnacles: nave and chapel have plain parapets. On south side gargoyle waterspout discharges into rainwater head dated 1908. West end: 4-stage tower incorporates 2-storey arch of former Chapel of St Mary at the Gate at the base. Weathered buttress and staircase project into angle with south aisle. West window
is of 3 cinquefoiled lights with blind panel tracery in the 2-centred head: small rectangular light in splayed opening above. Belfry has 4-centred louvred openings with hoodmoulds to each face. Weathered belfry string; moulded string beneath plain parapet with crocketed pinnacles and corner gargoyles. INTERIOR: chancel arcades of three 2-centred arches on quatrefoil shafts with moulded bases and capitals; continuous chamfered hoodmould on angel corbels. 2-centred chancel arch springs from carved corbels. South chapel arch is 4 centred, double chamfered. Nave arcades of 2-centred double-chamfered arches carried on octagonal and cylindrical piers and responds with moulded capitals and bases. Tall narrow 2-centred tower arch, of 3 chamfered orders to east, 2 to the west, springing from moulded imposts in splayed jambs. In north wall of tower, tall round arch in deeply splayed opening leads to vestry; in south wall is tall pointed recess. South of tower arch is quoined and chamfered doorway to tower stair. North door screened by glazed and panelled partition with arcaded lights: reset stoup within semicircular opening to south. FITTINGS: include traceried reredos and altarpiece with crocketed ogee arches, pinnacles, angels with musical instruments and carving of the Agnus Dei in high relief flanked by kneeling angels. Octagonal font on stem with moulded foot and C20 tiered cover. In north aisle, early C19 benefaction board, segment-arched, clustered side shafts, 1766-1871; in south aisle, C18 board in moulded surround with arched head, 1607-1740. East end of north aisle, carved stone cartouche with painted shield of Arms of Henry, Prince of Wales, d.1612. Over South Chapel arch, C15 low relief carving of the Crucifixion: over south door, C18 marble Madonna and Child. MONUMENTS: include wall monument to George Hutchinson, d.1775, white urn on black marble tablet; wall tablet by the Fishers, to Alathea Jordan, her husband and daughter, c1778, white urn on grey marble; shaped wall panel with incised memorial to Michael Loftus, d.1762, "servant" of the Duke of Ormond; finely carved cartouche in surround of cherubs and flowers to William Thornton and son, Robert, c1724. (An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York: RCHME: Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO London: 1975-: 25-29).
Listing NGR: SE5985852177

Derived from English Heritage LB download dated: 22/08/2005

Bells: 6 bells all noted on the national list of historically significant bells. The all date to 1789 founded by Robert Dalton, York. Notes F#, E, D, C#, B & A respectively. CARE No. 43/216

NMR Information:

(SE 59875218) St. Olave's Church (NAT) (1)

1.
5343 MARYGATE (south-east side)
SE 5952 SE12/47 14.6.54 Church of St Olave
2.
Circa 1500. Perpendicular style. Apart from the tall octagonal north-east tower, which has a slender spire, the church was rebuilt erly C17 following damage during the Civil War. Nave with aisles, and chancel rebuilt 1879 by G Fowler Jones. The vestry was added 1895 by Demaine & Brierley and the south chancel chapel was added in 1908 by J.F. Doyle of Liverpool. Font of 1673. Some medieval glass in the east window. Mural monuments to William Thornton (1721) and to Sara Lyne (1825).
(RCHM Vol. IV, Monument 9) (2)

1 Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date) OS 1:2500 1962
2 List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest DOE (HHR) City of York N Yorks June 1983 195

Related event: (UID 613515)
INVESTIGATION BY RCHME/EH ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY
Architectural Survey 14-NOV-1995

Mariana Percy Belcome memorial window (1901)