Church of St Oswald is a Grade II* listed building in the North Yorkshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 20 June 1966. A C15 Church.

Church of St Oswald

WRENN ID
woven-steel-gold
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
North Yorkshire
Constituency
Thirsk and Malton MP: Kevin Hollinrake (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
20 June 1966
Type
Church
Address
Church of St Oswald, Front Street, Sowerby
OS grid reference
SE 431 813
Coordinates
54.22629, -1.34018
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Oswald is a Grade II* listed church located on Front Street in Sowerby. The church features a Norman south doorway adorned with two orders of colonnettes, scalloped capitals, and intricate designs including intertwined trails, zig-zag patterns, and beakhead motifs in the arch. It has a squat three-stage tower, which includes two-light openings and castellations, added later, while the rest of the structure likely dates back to the 15th century.

The main body of the church is constructed from sandstone ashlar with a stone slate roof and is designed in a Neo-Norman style. It has a cruciform layout, consisting of an aisleless nave, a crossing, transepts, and a short chancel. The interior features an elaborate wooden roof structure designed by E B Lamb in 1842.

There are three significant periods of construction: the main structure, the wooden lantern added between 1879 and 1883 by Hodgson Fowler, and the north aisle, which is nearly as wide as the nave and has three bays with elongated octagonal piers and a pointed barrel vault. The north aisle also includes three-light windows with trefoil heads beneath straight heads, designed by Brierley in 1902. A later vestry is attached to the west of the aisle, and Jacobean panelling can be found near the altar.

Local climate

Church of St Oswald receives an average of 750 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 70% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 83% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 42 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 22 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  2. 68, Front Street, Sowerby Grade II 46 m
  3. Lansbury House Grade II 55 m
  4. 90 and 90a, Front Street, Sowerby Grade II 113 m
  5. The Manor House Grade II 127 m
  6. 96, Front Street, Sowerby Grade II 143 m
  7. 27, Front Street, Sowerby Grade II 149 m
  8. Dovecot to South of Manor House Grade II 149 m
  9. 98, Front Street, Sowerby Grade II 163 m
  10. 33, Front Street, Sowerby Grade II 182 m