Hull Minster
Hull, Yorkshire
At over 700 years old, Hull Minster is as old as Hull itself as since the 13th century we have been a constant presence in the city centre and some say the history of the city is literally written in our walls.
St Mary’s has been a focus of the area’s elaborate and rich local history and has been at the heart of life for many generations of local people, merchants, and officials. The church continues to attract devoted members to its doors and today, as much as before, has a dedicated congregation who are very much a part of the life and fabric of the church.
Over the centuries many skilled tradesmen and craftsmen have been involved in the building, rebuilding, restoration and intricate decorative work of both the exterior and interior of St Mary’s, carrying out commissions in wood, stone and metal.
The Harrison Brass can be found in the Chapel of the Nativity. It is the only pre Reformation monument that has survived at St Mary’s and is an early example of an English brass plate. The plate shows Harrison and his three sons in Tudor dress kneeling opposite his two wives.
William Dobson, whose monument over the north door depicts him wearing his ‘Citizen’s Gown’ and the mayoral chain, was a generous benefactor to St Mary’s. He was twice mayor and one time sheriff of Hull. The monument is an excellent alabaster wall monument. It is a frontal bust set in a classical arch, flanked by cherubs with cartouches of arms, skulls, swags and drops carved with fruit and flowers.
St Mary’s boasts fine windows by Clayton and Bell. The east Window also designed by Clayton and Bell consists of seven main lights, showing the main scenes of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. The upper portion of the window bears intricate tracery of the apostles, the four evangelists, and the angels.
There are four shields of 15th century glass. They are the coats of arms of De la Pole quartered with Wingfield, Salisbury quartered with Neville, Henry VI, and Kingston upon Hull (the three coronets).
The ornate perpendicular Rood Screen was designed by Temple Moore and made by Mr Gilbert Boulton of Cheltenham. The pattern of the Screen is medieval and the western side of the cross beams show ten angels bearing the instruments of the Passion.