York Historic Environment Record

Parish church. C14 north aisle; C15 chancel and south aisle, with reset mid C12 door; 1846-47 alterations including rebuilding of west end with tower, and north and south arcades. C19 building by Thomas Pickersgill.

MATERIALS: magnesian limestone with tile and pantile roofs in three parallel spans with stone coped gables.

PLAN: 2-bay continuous chancel and aisled nave with south door, west tower and vestry.

EXTERIOR: triple gabled east end with offset buttresses and moulded plinths to chancel and south aisle. East window of 5 lights with renewed panel tracery in 4-centred head, moulded sill string and hoodmould with grotesque mask. North aisle window of 5 lights with curvilinear tracery in 2-centred head and hoodmould: to south, blocked round-headed doorway. South aisle window of 4 lights with panel tracery in 2-centred head, moulded sill string and hoodmould. North side, articulated by 3-stage buttresses, on moulded plinth. 3-light windows have reticulated tracery in 2-centred heads, hoodmoulds and continuous moulded sill string. South side repeats north side, with two windows: third window altered to accommodate reset doorway. C18 plank door on strap hinges, faced on outer side with plain board. Doorway is round-arched, of five orders with moulded imposts and cushion capitals carved with volutes, grotesque masks and scallops: orders carved with foliage, beakhead, chevrons, medallions of leaves and flowers and lozenges enclosing quatrefoil flowers. 3-stage tower has offset angle buttresses and projecting south-east octagonal stair. Board door on C-hinges to south, in 2-centred double chamfered opening. West window of 3 lights with curvilinear tracery. Second stage has lancets in double chamfered openings to north, south and east faces. Belfry has 2-light louvred openings with ogee-headed lights in traceried, 2-centred heads with hoodmoulds. Moulded string course to each stage and beneath embattled parapet. Aisle windows are of 3 lights with cusped reticulated tracery.

INTERIOR: north and south arcades of hollow-chamfered pointed arches springing from octagonal piers and responds. Tall pointed tower arch blocked by ground floor screen beneath organ loft. In north wall of north aisle, tomb recess in pointed arch with filleted roll moulding, thought to be a Percy tomb.

FITTINGS: include: reredos of faience incorporates Paternoster, Creed and Commandments panels. Octagonal pulpit of bordered panels reset on C19 pedestal and with C19 handrail. Cast-iron Victorian hatchment on wood panel on north aisle west wall. Two boards recording rebuilding of 1798 and 1846-47 in vestry. Cast-iron safe with 'Gothick' mouldings on door.

MONUMENTS: include: chancel north wall: kneeling figure of Dorothy Hughes in round-arched niche surrounded by heraldry and symbolic carvings. Chancel south wall: obelisk with tablet and female figure and urn, to Robert Welborn Hotham and family, c1806, by Fisher. North aisle, north wall: white plaque on marble slab, to James Melrose, d.1837, by Plows: plaque to Rev John Walker, Rector, d.1813, and wife, Ann. Over south door: tablet to Dorothy Wilson, d.1717, flanked by Corinthian columns beneath segmental pediment.

STAINED GLASS: although fragmented, a considerable quantity of C13, C14 and C15 stained glass survives in the church. Roofs: nave has coffered roof with moulded beams and bosses, six said to be cast-iron. South aisle has four reset C12 grotesque corbels carrying renewed arch-braced trusses. (City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 15-19).
Listing NGR: SE6071351574

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

3 bells: Bell 1 dates to 1658 by J Smith & W Curedon, 2 1718 by Edward I Seller and 3 dates to 1621 founded by William Oldfield. CARE NO. 43/207.

NMR Information:

(SE 60715158) St. Denys' Church (NAT) (C of E) (1)

Church of St Denys. C14 and C15 with later alterations. Aisled nave, which was formerly the chancel and tower of 1847 originally was a crossing tower. Late Norman south doorway (not in situ). C14 glass. Notable east window of C14. Jacobean pulpit. (RCHM Vol V, Monument 6). (2)

A fragment of a late 9th-10th century grave cover, and a coped grave cover of 10th century date were found in the graveyard 1852. (3)

1 Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date) OS 1:2500 1963.
2 List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest 360 City of York, June 1983.
3 Corpus of Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture, volume 3 : York and eastern Yorkshire 81-2 by James Lang

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

Related Events
613515 Architectural Survey Investigation by RCHME/EH Architectural Survey
1367415 Watching Brief ST DENYS' CHURCH, WALMGATE

BF060208 St Denys' Church, Walmgate, York

NMR, 2019, NMR data (Digital archive). SYO2214.