Dewsbury Minster

Dewsbury Minster
All Saints' Church
North side of church
Coordinates: 53°41′23″N 1°37′45″W / 53.6896°N 1.6291°W / 53.6896; -1.6291
OS grid reference SE2459021524
Location Dewsbury, Kirklees
Country England
Denomination Anglican
Website DewsburyMinster.org.uk
History
Status Parish church
Architecture
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated 30 June 1949[1]
Style Gothic revival
Administration
Parish Dewsbury
Deanery Dewsbury[2]
Archdeaconry Pontefract
Episcopal area Wakefield
Diocese Leeds
Province York

Dewsbury Minster or All Saints' Church is a Church of England Parish church in Dewsbury, Kirklees, West Yorkshire. It dates from the 13th century and was rebuilt in 1895. It is situated on Vicarage Road and Church Street in the centre of the town. It became a minster church in 1994. In 1949 it became a Grade II* listed church.[1]

History

The north arcade of the church dates from 1220. The south arcade was built later that century. The ceiling of the nave was built in the 15th century. The tower and north aisle were built around 1767 and designed by John Carr. In 1850, the ceiling was raised allowing more space for an organ loft to be installed. From 1884 to 1888, the church was extended to the designs of A.E. Street (the son of George Edmund Street) and A.H. Kirk.[3] The east window and new pews were added during this time. In 1895, the south aisle was demolished and rebuilt in the Gothic revival style.[1]

In 1912, a new carved-oak reredos was added, depicting Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.[1]

In 2013, the church received a grant from Kirklees Borough Council for £25,000 to build exterior lights to illuminate the church at night.[4]

Dewsbury lies near the River Calder, traditionally on the site where Paulinus preached. Some of the visible stonework in the nave is Saxon, and parts of the church also date to the 13th century. The tower houses "Black Tom", a bell which is rung each Christmas Eve, one toll for each year since Christ's birth, known as the "Devil's Knell", a tradition dating from the 15th century. The bell was given by Sir Thomas de Soothill, in penance for murdering a servant boy in a fit of rage. The tradition was commemorated on a Royal Mail postage stamp in 1986.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Church of All Saints, Dewsbury from British listed buildings, retrieved 6 March 2015
  2. ↑ Deaneries at Diocese of Leeds, retrieved 6 March 2015
  3. ↑ The British Architect: A Journal of Architecture and the Accessory Arts, Volume 29, (Pennsylvania State University, 1888) p. vii.
  4. ↑ Kirklees Cabinet approve £25k outdoor lights upgrade for Dewsbury Minster from Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 18 December 2013, retrieved 7 March 2015
  5. ↑ "Eric Shackle's eBook - Bells". Retrieved 10 September 2016.
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