St Martin le Grand, York
| St Martin le Grand, York | |
|---|---|
St Martin le Grand, York | |
St Martin le Grand, York | |
| 53°57′34.91″N 1°5′4.5″W / 53.9596972°N 1.084583°W | |
| Location | York |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | sthelenwithstmartinyork.org.uk |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Martin |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed[1] |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province of York |
| Diocese | Diocese of York |
| Archdeaconry | York |
| Deanery | York |
| Parish | St Helen, Stonegate with St Martin, Coney Street |
| Clergy | |
| Priest in charge | Interregnum |
St Martin le Grand, York is a Grade II* listed[1] parish church in the Church of England in York.[2]
History
The church dates from the 11th century. The tower was built in the 15th century.
It was restored between 1853 and 1854[3] by JB and W Atkinson of York. The south side and eastern ends of the aisles were rebuilt, and the pierced battlement was added, to replace one removed 40 years earlier. The porch was added at the east end into Coney Street, and a south porch also added near the tower. New stained glass windows by William Wailes were added.
It was badly damaged by bombing on 29 April 1942 during the so-called Baedeker Blitz. It was rebuilt between 1961 and 1968 under the supervision of George Pace.
Clock
The clock on the east front was added in 1856 by Mr Cooke,[4] with a carved figure of the ‘Little Admiral’ dating from 1778. It is supported by an iron bracket which originally had a gas apparatus for lighting at night.[5]
Stained glass and other fittings
The church is noted as having a large medieval window showing scenes from the life of St Martin of Tours. The nine metre high window was removed for safe keeping in 1940, and was not destroyed in the bombing of April 1942. When it returned it was set in the north wall rather than its original location in the west wall, as part of a wholesale reconstruction of the church by George Pace. As a result its monumental scale now dwarfs the size of the much reduced church.[6]
The east window in the former south aisle, which following rebuilding functions as the nave, was designed and manufactured by Harry Stammers and installed in 1963. It commemorates the destruction of this and other churches in the bombing raid on York, the form of the red flames taking hold of the buildings, and the rising smoke above, creating an almost abstract appearance.[7] The reredos screen below was designed by Frank Roper.
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Window showing scenes from the Life of St Martin of Tours, c.1437
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East window by Harry Stammers, 1963
Parish status
The church is in a joint parish with St Helen's Church, Stonegate, York.
Memorials
- Robert Horsfield (d. 1711)
- Thomas Colthurst (d. 1588)
- Lady Elizabeth Sheffield (d. 1633)
- John Kendall (d. 1823) and his wife (d. 1833)
- Valentine Nalson (d. 1722/3)
Organ
The pipe organ was built by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd and dates from 1968. It was the gift of the West German government and the Evangelical Church. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[8]
References
- ^ a b Historic England. "Church of St Martin le Grand (Grade II*) (1257963)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ The Buildings of England. York and the East Riding. Nikolaus Pevsner and David Neave. Yale University Press. 1995. ISBN 0300095937
- ^ "Restoration of St Martin's Church, Coney-Street". Yorkshire Gazette. York. 23 December 1854. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "ConeyStreet Clock". York Herald. York. 17 October 1857. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "New Clock at York". Yorkshire Gazette. England. 5 July 1856. Retrieved 15 November 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Church of St Martin-le-Grand, Coney Street, York". Visit Stained Glass. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Hinchcliffe, Henry (2016). The Stained Glass Windows of Harry Stammers. Nottingham: Mindelph Press. ISBN 978-0993549427.
- ^ "NPOR [N08796]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 6 May 2015.