St Michael le Belfrey, York

St Michael le Belfrey is an Anglican church in York, England. It is situated at the junction of High Petergate and Minster Yard, directly opposite York Minster, in the centre of the city.

St Michael le Belfrey
St Michael le Belfrey, York
OS grid referenceSE 602 521
LocationYork
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipCharismatic Evangelical
Websitebelfrey.org
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSt Michael
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade I listed[1]
Designated14 June 1954
StyleGothic
Groundbreaking1525
Completed1537
Administration
ProvinceProvince of York
DioceseDiocese of York
ArchdeaconryYork
DeaneryYork
ParishSt Michael le Belfrey York

History
Church of St Michael le Belfrey

The present church building was built between 1525 and 1537 and replaced a church that dated back to at least 1294. The church is famous for being the place where Guy Fawkes was baptised on 16 April 1570.[2] Fawkes later became a Roman Catholic, which led to the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot. The church was also the scene of the wedding of Christopher Levett of York, the English explorer, to Mercy More, daughter of the Revd Robert More of Guiseley, Yorkshire, in 1608.[3] It is also sited near to the place where the Emperor Constantine was proclaimed a Roman Emperor. Some 14th century stained glass was retained from the former church, which is now in the east window.[4]

The west front and bellcote date from 1867 and were supervised by the architect George Fowler Jones. The stained glass panels on the front of the building were restored by John Knowles in the early 19th century.[5] The interior contains an elegant reredos in the Baroque style by John Etty of 1702, with contemporary altar rails. This sits alongside other 18th century memorials. It also contains some fine 17th century carved benches, and a fine suite of Victorian bench seating by noted architect George Fowler Jones, with impressive poppy heads, and doors to the aisle seats, which are a rare survival. Also of note are two staircases at the west end that lead to the gallery with raised and fielded panelling, with Gothick balustrades, plain serpentine handrails, wreathed at foot around column newels on shaped curtail steps.[6] These are a remarkable survival, and there are no other known surviving examples, making them of exceptional significance. The galleries themselves were designed by William Belwood c1785, and survive very much as designed. The seating was probably made for children of Blue Coat and Grey Coat Charity Schools in 1785, and appear to survive in their original form.

The first record of any organ in the church dates from 1687, cobbled together with the remains of an organ built by George Dallam for Durham Cathedral in 1662. This was removed in 1885 by a brand new 34-stop, three-manual organ by William Denman & Son of York. The organ is notable, being one of the largest instruments constructed by William Denman. It is housed in the north aisle in a beautifully carved oak case designed by James Demaine, then principal of noted York architectural practice Brierley Groom. This was spearheaded by the Rev. Edmund Carter, who had become Vicar in 1882. It underwent tonal changes and improvements in 1925 and 1975. During this work, the casework was badly damaged by a careless attempt to strip the original dark stain of the wood, followed by an amateurish attempt to lime the casework, which damaged many of the facade pipes in the process. The organ was used extensively during an exciting period of renewal under the Rev. David Watson, but later changes in the musical emphasis of the congregation's services led to the organ falling out of use, and subsequent neglect. It was last used in 2000 before being allowed to fall completely silent. Unwanted, the organ was dismantled in 2019, to be restored for another church.[7]

Recent history

In the early 1970s the parish of St Michael le Belfrey was joined with the nearby St Cuthbert's Church, which had experienced revival in the late 1960s under the leadership of David Watson and could no longer be accommodated in the building. Growth continued in the 1970s and the church became known as a centre for charismatic renewal.[8] The Church's historic pipe organ, built in 1885 by York organ builder William Denman, and is one of the largest instruments of his career. Under the evangelical leadership, the instrument was allowed to deteriorate, and the organ’s condition declined to the point that the organ fell unplayable in the mid-1990s.[7] It was also at this time the choir stalls and fine pulpit were removed in 1973, replaced with a modern lectern and a stage for musicians.[9]

In 2019, the church embarked on a major reordering programme that will involve significant interventions and alterations to the Grade I listed building. This will involve the introduction of intrusive modernist-style galleries within the aisles of the Church, and the complete removal of the now-historic Victorian seating, imposing a "contemporary" aesthetic on the historic gothic style building, with modern-style structures inserted alongside the 500-year-old structure. The nave will house a servery, providing refreshments, while various meeting rooms and toilets will also be provided by building partitions in the historic church. A full-immersion baptismal font, never a feature in the English Church until its introduction via the Roman Catholic Second Vatican Council, is planned, and will be inserted in the nave of the Grade I listed building, despite being completely out-of-character for a building of this period and importance. It is also proposed that the Georgian galleries, together with their highly historically significant staircases are completely removed. The historic galleries are to be replaced with a modern-style one of completely different proportions, and will protrude further into the nave. As it is a church, Listed Building Consent is not required, and the application is through the Diocese[10] In response to these proposals, objections have been raised by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, The Georgian Group as well as the Victorian Society.[11] The reordering will also include multiple screens and an extensive audio-visual installation, which will further detract from the historic character of the building. In preparation for this building work, the historic pipe organ has been removed and will not be replaced. The project will cost in excess of £10 million, and work is expected to begin in 2023, and is currently being determined by the Diocesan Chancellor of York.[12][11]

Controversy

The proposed extensive and invasive re-ordering and renovation has drawn criticism from the relevant heritage groups and statutory consultees, some calling them one of the "most controversial for any Grade I building during the last 25 years"[13] and "Probably most comprehensive and destructive scheme of reordering of Grade I listed multi-phase church interior"[14] Historic England considers the proposed work will have harmful impact on historic character of church, taking away layers of history that contribute to significance and introducing new elements that will change way interior is experienced.[15] The Georgian Group strongly objects to the scheme, strongly advising that, given magnitude of works proposed, scheme would cause substantial and irreversible harm, eroding special historical and architectural significance and jeopardizing status as Grade I Heritage Asset. Justifications for the proposed radical alterations and substantial harm caused were considered to be unconvincing. The Victorian Society was equally critical, since the scheme all but expunges the building's Victorian history. They were critical of the substantiation, saying that the Statement of Significance submitted by the church "does not adequately fulfil its brief in offering a scholarly, informed and objective analysis of significance of building and its various fixtures and fittings."

Present

The church continues to reflect the creativity that was encouraged under the David Watson era. There are usually three services held on Sunday, a more formal morning service at 9 am; the "XI", a family service at 11 am; and "The6", an evening service, both with a more informal style, featuring contemporary worship. The "Faith in the City" service meets at 12:30 on Wednesday lunch-times, providing workers of the city a short half-hour service mid-week, with a light lunch served afterwards.[16]

The church maintains links with Riding Lights Theatre Company, York Schools and Youth Trust (YoYo), Alpha UK as well as numerous parachurch organisations involved in mission work both locally and internationally. The church is a member of the One Voice York, Evangelical Alliance and New Wine network of churches.

Its daughter church, G2,[17] meets twice on a Sunday at Central Methodist Church York.[18]

The Belfrey (as it is sometimes known) is a larger Anglican church and the present incumbent is the Reverend Matthew Porter. The other senior clergy are Reverend Andy Baker (Associate Minister) and Reverend Vicky Earll (Curate).[19]

See also

References
Notes
  1. Historic England. "Church of St Michael le Belfrey (Grade I) (1257228)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  2. Northcote Parkinson 1976, p. 125
  3. "Genuki: YORKSHIRE: Paver's Marriage Licenses for the year 1608., Yorkshire". www.genuki.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  4. "York St Michael le Belfrey". National Churches Trust. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  5. Koopmans, Rachel (2014). "Early sixteenth-century stained glass at St. Michael-le-Belfry". Speculum. 89: 1042 – via JSTOR.
  6. "MYO1130 - St Michael le Belfrey - York Historic Environment Record". her.york.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  7. "York". Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  8. Kings, Graham (September 2003). "Canal, River and Rapids: Contemporary Evangelicalism in the Church of England". Anvil. 20 (3): 167–184. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  9. "St Michael le Belfrey - High Petergate, York, UK - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  10. "Ecclesiastical Exemption". Historic England. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  11. "Application 2022-077905 - Online Faculty System". facultyonline.churchofengland.org. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  12. "Impact Updates". The Belfrey. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  13. Official response from the Georgian Group
  14. Victorian Society official response
  15. https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org/FAS/ApplicationPublicNotice.aspx?Id=77905 Official responses from statutory consultees, accessed 14 April 2023
  16. "St Michael le Belfrey Church website, Sundays". 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  17. "G2 York". G2 York. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  18. "Central Methodist Church". Central Methodist Church. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  19. "Meet The Team". The Belfrey. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
Bibliography
  • Northcote Parkinson, C. (1976), Gunpowder Treason and Plot, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, ISBN 0-297-77224-4
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