Church Of St Silas

The Church of St. Silas is a parish church located on Clifford Street in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne. It was built in 1886 by architect R.J. Johnson, with alterations made in 1899. The church is constructed of snecked sandstone, featuring an ashlar plinth, quoins, and dressings, and has a roof made of plain tiles with stone gable copings.

The layout includes a nave and chancel with a north aisle, as well as a north-west baptistry. Access to the church is through a two-centred arched double door in a moulded surround, located in the westernmost bay of the north aisle. There is a similar door and a two-light window leading to the vestry at the east end of the aisle. The west side features doors that were added in 1899, flanking a large round-headed window with tracery, and a blind arcade below a continuous sill and drip string. The aisle and baptistry have two-and four-light square-headed windows with stone mullions and elliptical-headed lights. The east window, added in 1899, is similar to the west window.

At the north-west corner, there is a battlemented octagonal belfry turret that has a canted baptistry adjoining it. Inside, the church has painted plaster above a boarded dado and an arch-braced collar truss roof. The five-bay arcade is supported by tall octagonal piers and features elliptical double-chamfered arches with hood moulds. A Gothic-style reredos made of Caen stone, gifted by the vicar in 1899, includes a painted panelled coved canopy above. An octagonal stone font rests on an arcaded base, surrounded by a wooden rail and kneeler. The glass in the east and baptistry windows was created by Atkinson Bros of Newcastle. Additionally, there is a stone low-relief panel in the south wall that commemorates Elizabeth Harbottle, the founder of the Harbottle Charity, featuring angels flanking an inscription from the early 20th century.