- Church of Christ the Consoler
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Coordinates: 54°06′29″N 1°26′56″W / 54.108°N 1.449°W
Church of Christ the Consoler, Skelton on Ure
The Church of Christ the Consoler is a Victorian Gothic Revival church built in the Early English style by William Burges.[1] It is located in the grounds of Newby Hall at Skelton-on-Ure, in North Yorkshire, England. Burges was commissioned by George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, to build it as a tribute to the Marquess' brother-in-law, Frederick Vyner.[2]
InteriorVyner was "taken prisoner by Greek brigands in the neighborhood of Athens April 11th 1870 and murdered by them April 21st."[3] A significant ransom had been demanded, and in part collected, before his murder. Vyner's mother determined that the unused funds would be used to construct a memorial church on her Yorkshire estate, his sister, Lady Ripon, embarking on an identical project, building St Mary's Church on her estate at Studley Royal. Burges obtained the commissions for both churches in 1870, perhaps because of the connection between his greatest patron, John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, and Vyner, who had been friends at Oxford.
The construction of the Church of Christ the Consoler began in 1871 and the church was complete by 1876.[4] The interior style is rich, with members of Burges' favourite team, e.g. Nicholls and Lonsdale, contributing. It is particularly interesting as representing an architectural move from Burges' favourite Early French style to an English inspiration. Pevsner describes it thus: "Of determined originality, the impression is one of great opulence, even if of a somewhat elephantine calibre"[5].
The church was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 14 December 1991.[6]
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England
References
- ^ The Buildings of England - Yorkshire: The West Riding page 484
- ^ The Buildings of England - Yorkshire: The West Riding page 484
- ^ Memorial tablet to Frederick Vyner in York Minster
- ^ The Buildings of England - Yorkshire: The West Riding page 484
- ^ Nicholas Pevsner: Yorkshire, The West Riding
- ^ (PDF) Diocese of Ripon and Leeds: All Schemes, Church Commissioners/Statistics, Church of England, 2010, p. 5, http://www.churchofengland.org/media/56475/riponandleeds.pdf, retrieved 3 April 2011
- Bibliography
- Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England - Yorkshire: The West Riding (1967) Penguin Books
- Mordaunt Crook, J, William Burges and the High Victorian Dream (1981) John Murray
Categories:- Churches in North Yorkshire
- Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
- Religious buildings completed in 1876
- 19th-century Anglican church buildings
- Anglican congregations established in the 19th century
- Churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust
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