Church Of St Helen

Church of St Helen, Worcester

A major medieval parish church in limestone ashlar, St Helen's represents one of Worcester's richest churches of the Middle Ages, substantially rebuilt in the Perpendicular style around 1450. The west tower was rebuilt in 1820-1, probably by John Collingwood. The east end, windows, and porch were renewed in 1857-63 by Preedy, with further restoration undertaken by Aston Webb in 1879-80.

The church comprises a five-bay nave with full-length aisles to either side, a two-bay chancel, and a west tower. The exterior displays Gothic revival character. The nave features two-light windows and a south entrance in the second bay, with a studded planked door set in a four-centred surround with two orders of hollow chamfer. This doorway sits within a stone and traceried-timber porch (much restored), part of Aston Webb's work. The chancel has single-light windows with Decorated-type tracery to their heads. The east end displays a five-light window by Preedy between three-light windows by Aston Webb, also with Decorated-type tracery. Buttresses to the ends and centre are embellished with quatrefoils, and the gable end is embattled. The three-stage tower features a pointed planked door to the lowest stage, a blind oculus to the second stage, and two ogee-light belfry openings to the third stage.

Internally, the earliest surviving masonry is in the north chancel aisle, built to house a chantry in 1288. The south chancel aisle also dates to the 13th century. The spacious interior was created in the 15th century when slender pillars with pointed arches were built and a new tower constructed. The nave roof timbers largely date from this period, as do the inner doors of the south doorway. Former altar positions in the east end of the north and south aisles are marked by surviving aumbries and piscinas. The church was refitted in 1836, and most furnishings were removed when it was later converted to a record office. Among surviving fixtures is an alabaster reredos of 1867 by Preedy. The church retains 17th, 18th, and 19th century memorial tablets, several moved here from the demolished St Michael's. Notable monuments include a high-quality marble monument to Alderman John Nash (died 1662) with a reclining figure set in an aedicule with twisted columns and an open pediment; a restored monument to Dud Dudley (died 1684), ironmaster and royalist general; and a monument to Anne Fleet (died 1600) with five kneeling figures in Elizabethan dress. A late 19th-century font in Perpendicular style survives. The bells were sold for scrap in 1951.

St Helen's has considerable historical and archaeological significance. Before the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon see of Worcester around 675, St Helen's was the main church in its region. The dedication to Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine, suggests a possible Roman or sub-Roman origin. Norman stonework discovered during the late 19th-century restoration indicates a large stone church existed by the 12th century. After the great fire in the city in 1113, the then rector, Fritheric, gave all his tithes towards the church's repair. The church's wealth in the Middle Ages accounts for the lack of early surviving fabric, as various phases of rebuilding occurred throughout this period.

By 1879 the church was in very poor condition before Aston Webb's major restoration. In the mid-20th century it became redundant and was leased to Worcestershire County Council, serving as the County Record Office from 1957 to 2002. In 2005 it reverted to the parish of All Saints and is now used occasionally for worship.