Church Of St Mary

SE 2769 9/51 6.3.67

LINDRICK WITH STUDLEY ROYAL AND FOUNTAINS STUDLEY PARK Church of St Mary

GV I

Church of St Mary. 1871-78 by William Burges for the first Marchioness of Ripon. Fine-grained grey limestone from the Morcar quarry near Markenfield Hall, interior creamy white limestone from Lord Ripon's own quarries (Crook, p233); grey slate roof. 2-stage west tower with spire; 4-bay nave with clerestory, aisles and south porch; 2-bay chancel. A masterpiece of High Victorian architecture in an elaborate Early English style. Among the many striking features are: the south and west doors with extravagant scrolled and figured ironwork; the latter recessed under an unusual segmental arch; the west window of 4-lights with a rose and similar to the east window which is flanked by sculptured groups and surmounted by a crucifix, all details under elaborate crocketed hood-moulds. The tower: belfry windows have gables carried up into the spire; polygonal spirelets; lucarnes; a weather cock crowns the top-most crocket. Interior: lavish, with extravagant use of coloured stone and marbles; carved details painted and gilded, flat surfaces painted with saints, angels, stars and symbols all with the theme of Paradise lost and Paradise regained. Nave arcade of circular piers with 4 Purbeck shafs; the chancel arch has 7 shafts to each side. The chancel represents the ultimate achievement of Burges' eclecticism: the shafts of blue, red and green marble; a lion supports a shaft above the sedilia. Floor of polychrome tiles and mosaics; walls lined with alabaster, a waggon roof and domed east bay with trefoil-headed panels and painted angels. Contemporary fittings include organ reached by stone spiral staircase in the north aisle and the font of Tennessee marble with figures of gilded bronze representing the four ages of man. South aisle: white marble effigy of the first Marchioness of Ripon (d1909) on a chest tomb. The stained glass designed by F Weeks and made by Saunders and Co., sculpture by T Nicholls. The church was built at the west end of the long drive and vista laid out by John Aislabie, replacing the obelisk (qv) as the focal point. It was designed to be viewed from all sides with particular attention to the west side, the principal entrance. The same team of architect, sculptor and designer worked in 1871-2 on the Church of Christ the Consoler in the grounds of Newby hall, for Lady Mary Vyner, a relative of Lord Ripon. N Pevsner, Yorkshire, The West Riding, 1967, p 504. J Mordaunt Crook, William Burges and the High Victorian Dream, 1981, pp 232- 237.

Listing NGR: SE2754169291