St Denys Church in Walmgate added to national 'at-risk' list

St Denys Church in Walmgate, which is more than 700 years old has a large collection of mediaeval stained glass and houses the tombs of several of the most powerful baronial family of northern England.

It is among 33 sites across Yorkshire that have been added to Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register because its stained glass and stonemasonry is decaying and it is suffering from subsidence.

The listing means it will get help and attention from Historic England’s specialist heritage at risk team to ensure it is saved for the future.

Castle Howard’s Grade I listed landscape and stray walls, which had been on the register have been deemed rescued after repairs, and are among 66 Yorkshire sites that have been removed from the latest edition, published today.

St Denys Church, also Grade I listed, is the remnant of a much larger church which was the York place of worship of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland and other members of the Percy family who had a nearby mansion.

For centuries, they controlled the north-east of England including the Scottish marches, and had a mansion nearby. Some of the church’s mediaeval glass was provided by the Percy family.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has provided funding to develop a project to repair the church from its Grants for Places of Worship.

The church was founded before 1154 and much of the current building was constructed in the 14th and 15th century. It has two regular services a week, including a monthly service for those with hearing problems, which is signed. It also hosts Carols by Candlelight every Christmas Eve.

Castle Howard’s 18th century Stray Walls are three quarters of a mile long and their wall tops were crumbing.

Many of the monuments in the castle’s Baroque landscape needed repair and lime trees planted in the 1720s needed attention. Historic England and Natural England combined to carry out repair work that ensured it could be removed from the register.