St John's Church, Bellerby

The church, in 2015

St John's Church is the parish church of Bellerby, a village in North Yorkshire, in England.

The first reference to a church in Bellerby is from the 15th century, and in 1474 it was the subject of a papal bull establishing the funding of a resident priest, who would say mass.[1] It long served as a chapel-of-ease to St Michael's Church, Spennithorne. It was rebuilt in 1801, and again in 1874.[2] In 1847, it was licensed for baptisms, marriages and burials. In 1967, the church was Grade II listed.[3] The church was re-roofed and redecorated in 2005, with a carpet fitted the following year. The church bell was removed in 2017 as it was unsafe, but was rehung in 2021.[4][5]

The church is built of stone with a Welsh slate roof. It consists of a three-bay nave with a south porch, a two-bay chancel with a north vestry, and a southwest steeple. The steeple is octagonal with string courses, louvred openings, and an octagonal spire. The porch is gabled and has buttresses, and a pointed doorway with a chamfered surround.[3][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Müller, Miriam (2021). The Routledge Handbook of Medieval Rural Life. Routledge. ISBN 9781000450736.
  2. ^ A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1. London: Victoria County History. 1914. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Historic England. "Church of St John (1130858)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Vicar set a £15,000 target in mission to restore church roof". Northern Echo. 23 January 2002. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  5. ^ "St John's, Bellerby". A Church Near You. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ^ Grenville, Jane; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2023) [1966]. Yorkshire: The North Riding. The Buildings of England. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-25903-2.

54°19′49″N 1°49′26″W / 54.3302°N 1.8239°W / 54.3302; -1.8239