The Architecture
The envelope of the building is a mixture of sandstone, limestone and rubble stone walls with plain tiles to the nave roof and Westmorland slates to the chancel and nave north aisle.
The church has a Norman 4-bay 12C nave an early English 13C north aisle, and a chancel, re-built in 1836 and shortened in 1963. The tower is of perpendicular style from the 16th century having been rebuilt when the original collapsed.
The church underwent restoration in 1891-3 by Demaine & Brierley. Internally, the walls are part-plastered and painted, and the timber ceilings are exposed. Floors are stone flagged with timber boarding beneath the pews.
The architectural features of the romanesque arch include three orders with the first and second order having capitals with scallop patterns and a row of beading. The third order has a row of beakheads. The label has a chevron patterning.
The arch of the third order has a series of beakheads to the inner moulding. The decoration of the beakheads with the feathers covering the side of their heads and the beading around the eye is considered to be very unusual. Each beakhead appears to be different from the previous one.
The Norman Chancel arch was restored during the 19th century due to the continuing distortion of the arch, and again in the 1960s when it was shortened. The damage was probably caused by groundwater movement caused by the high-water levels when the Ings flood. The east end was completely rebuilt with two-light round headed fixed window and leaded lights.
It appears that the arch is still moving.
The window to the right of the door is a three-light square-headed cinque-cusped and to the left is a pair of 19C lancet windows. The chancel has a small, fixed lancet window on the south side now with stained glass fitted in 1914. To the north side there it a truncated brick arch, probably from the C16.
To the south side of the altar is the Sanctuary window by Ann Sotheran which was dedicated on the 30 June 2010 by the Archbishop of York.
The 16th century tower is in three stages, with diagonal stepped buttresses which have grotesques figures carved on the coping stones which includes a carving with three faces and on one buttress, a newt. The roof has battlements with carved conical sphere at each corner. To the south face there is a three-light square-headed window with hoodmould to the second stage of the tower.
To the north, south and west faces of the upper stage is a two-light square headed belfry opening, and to the east face a triple trefoil headed lancet window.
The tower was re-built in 1537. The building of the tower was completed in memory of Robert Aske by his family following his execution.
The nave is of four bays with a north aisle. The southside of the nave has a round-headed Norman door which was significantly restored between 1891-3. The door has one order. To the right one twin capital and part of the impost remain original. The doorway has twin half-columns with an arris between them. On the right is a twin capital of double scallop form.The impost of the doorway is chamfered. In the arch, in the soffit are two roll mouldings with an arris between.
Just underneath the first string course is the carved relief heraldic shields of the Aske family in commemoration of Robert Aske.
It is thought to bear the inscription in contemporaryFrench: Christofer le second filz de Robert Aske ch[evalie]r oublier ne doy AoDi 1536; ie, Christopher, the second son of Robert Aske, knight, should notforget the year of Our Lord 1536.
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