An early twentieth century stone-built church, built by and served from Ampleforth Abbey. It contains a number of internal furnishings of note, particularly the painting over the reredos on the east wall. The building was considerably enlarged in a seamless manner in the late 1980s.

The church and adjacent school were built by Ampleforth Abbey to serve Ampleforth village, the church being dedicated by the abbot on Whit Sunday, 17 May 1907. It is built in a plain lancet Gothic style, of local stone (from the Sleightholmedale quarries) under a slate roof. No architect was employed; ‘it is of such a simple nature that those in charge of the work and the builders were able to carry it out from their own designs ‘ (Ampleforth Journal, 1907).  Frank Thompson and William Worthy, both of Ampleforth, were mason and joiner respectively. The church cost about £600, excluding furnishings, and as originally built seated about 120. It appears to have consisted of a long nave with porch, continuous chancel and sacristy. There was a triple lancet window and a raised bellcote at the west end and paired lancet windows lit the nave and chancel. Mr and Mrs Frank Thompson presented a Carrara marble holy water stoup for the porch, acquired in Genoa and in the form of an angel holding a shell. Cathedral glass was provided for the lancet windows by Atkinson & Sons of Newcastle.

In 1988 the church was substantially but seamlessly enlarged, with transepts and low squat towers added on the north and south sides, in matching materials and style and subsuming the original porch.  The designs for these additions were provided by the well-known conservation architect Martin Stancliffe. The towers each have a louvred top stage and pyramidal roof; the main entrance to the church is now through a porch in the north tower, and the church is entered via a panelled oak door in memory of Fr Paul Neville, priest of Ampleforth 1914-24.

Inside, the transept additions create what is effectively a Greek cross plan. The seating consists of freestanding oak benches arranged around a forward stone altar, the latter installed as part of the 1988 reordering and extension. However, the dominant feature of the interior is the painting over the former high altar (the original oak reredos survives and incorporates a shelf for the tabernacle, with a canopy over). The painting depicts Christ enthroned and adored by figures of Our Lady and St Joseph and Benedictine saints. It was painted in 1915 by Brother Philip Jarvis, an Ampleforth novice. Other original or early sanctuary furnishings include oak doors to the sacristy on either side of the reredos, an oak lectern carved by Robert Thompson of Kilburn (with his trademark mouse signature) and two pairs of stained glass windows in memory of Dom Oswald Swarbrick OSB and Dom Anselm Turner OSB, both signed MMW and dated 1933. The stone font, with hexagonal bowl, stem and steps and an oak cover, is presumably of c.1907; it is now located in the north transept.

The roof consists of arched braces rising from corbels with collars and double purlins, with boarding above. The ‘crossing’ is marked by quadripartite arched bracing, presumably dating from 1988. An oak screen at the west end of the nave serves to create a gathering space and narthex area. Store rooms and a reconciliation room have also been created at the west end.

Entry amended by AHP 29.09.2026

Heritage Details