St Mary
Lastingham, Yorkshire
St Mary's is one of the cradles of English Christianity, built on the site of a wooden Saxon monastery founded in 654 by St Cedd of LIndisfarne (who is buried here).
Built in 1863-66 in local limestone in the Early French Gothic style, this rather low, broad church has a satisfying exterior with an apsidal (semicircular) chancel, a tall bell tower and a pyramid spire that is a prominent feature in the landscape.
The splendid hammerbeam roof soars above an elaborate High Victorian Gothic interior. Magnificent pink classical sgraffito decorations adorn the walls in the Lady Chapel and apse, the reredos and the pulpit.
The beautiful west facing rose window has a 10 part 'botanical' design and depicts in stained glass panels Christian virtues such as faith, hope and charity. Both sgraffiti and stained glass were carried out by Clayton and Bell of London.
An unusual feature is a west porch opening into the church by two doors, between which stands the Caenstone font. On either side of the doors are miniature pews for children.