York is said to have the finest set of medieval town churches in the land, according to a new guide written by the deputy chairman of English Heritage.

FIVE STARS: Selby Abbey

And North Yorkshire is described as "good country" for historic churches in the guide, which is to be published later this week.

Simon Jenkins, who has spent the last decade researching England's Thousand Best Churches, also says that the Vale of York in particular is "a fertile farming district and therefore fertile in churches".

Each church appearing in the book is awarded a number of stars in what is the ecclesiastical equivalent of a Michelin Guide. Only 18 achieve the top five-star rating - and one of these is in North Yorkshire.

Mr Jenkins believes Selby Abbey to be worthy of the full five-star rating because it seems to him to be like "a stately old lady, retired to the country with her dignity and memories intact".

He singles out for special praise the east window of the chancel for its extraordinary tracery and medieval glass and the abbey's "low and powerful Norman tower" but he thinks it would "benefit hugely from having the market extended directly to the foot of the abbey".

North Yorkshire has a total of 30 churches included in the guide from four-star St Mary's, at Lastingham, near Pickering, with its unique Norman crypt, to the Georgian splendour of seafaring St Mary's at Whitby, which also wins four-star rating.

York also scores well. It is said to have the "finest set of medieval town churches" in England with All Saints' (North Street) and St Martin-le-Grand (Coney Street) both being awarded two stars and Holy Trinity (Goodramgate), All Saints' (Pavement) and St Michael-le-Belfrey (Petergate) all earning one.

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