Church of St Hilda (Roman Catholic) is a Grade II listed building in the North Yorkshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 20 October 1997. Church.

Church of St Hilda (Roman Catholic)

WRENN ID
stony-niche-vetch
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
North Yorkshire
Constituency
Scarborough and Whitby MP: Alison Hume (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
20 October 1997
Type
Church
Address
Church of St Hilda (Roman Catholic), Victoria Square, Whitby
OS grid reference
NZ 896 108
Coordinates
54.48543, -0.61729
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Church of St Hilda is a Roman Catholic church located in Whitby, built in 1867 and designed by M E Hadfield. It is constructed of dressed stone with ashlar dressings and features slate roofs with ridge tiles, coped gables, kneelers, and cross finials. The building consists of a nave and chancel under a single roof, with narrow side aisles. The chamfered plinth adds to its architectural detail.

The west front has a central doorway that is approached by four steps. This doorway features central double doors set within a triple pointed arch, flanked by columns in a slightly projecting gabled porch that includes a patera and a central niche. Above the doorway, there is a row of five short lancet windows, topped by a circular window with a quatrefoil design. The left side of the church has a single lancet window and a hipped slate roof, while the right side features a tower with narrow stair lights, topped with a squat octagonal spire.

On the north front, there are three lancet windows alternating with buttresses that have set-offs, along with a single priests' doorway. The east end has a slightly narrower chancel, which includes a single three-light plate tracery window. The south front has a later projecting gabled porch with a deeply set round-headed opening that has moulded imposts. The slightly projecting south aisle features four chamfered lancets with buttresses between them and finials on all four gables. To the left, there is a single two-light plate tracery window in a pointed arch surround.

Inside, the church has alternating circular and octagonal arcade piers and responds, with tall chamfered arches and plain capitals. The chancel is defined by a painted wooden rood screen, and the side walls are decorated with double blind arcades, with painted scenes in the upper arcades of the east wall. The original wooden pews and Minton tile floors contribute to the interior's character. An elaborate carved reredos features seven canopies with painted figures, and the stone altar is supported by marble columns. The boarded roofs, including the painted roof of the chancel, and the Lady chapel's elaborately painted roof add to the church's distinctive interior.

Local climate

Church of St Hilda (Roman Catholic) receives an average of 860 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 60% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 74% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 9 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 92% of listed buildings. Of these, 6 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

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

Nearby listed buildings

  1. St Hilda's Rectory Grade II 19 m
  2. 25 and 26, Bagdale Grade II 35 m
  3. Church of St John the Evangelist Grade II 38 m
  4. The Old Red House Grade II 46 m
  5. George Hotel Grade II 49 m
  6. 44 and 45, Baxtergate Grade II 50 m
  7. Walls to the Old Red House Grade II 51 m
  8. 7 and 8, Victoria Square Grade II 54 m
  9. 9, Victoria Square Grade II 55 m
  10. 6, Victoria Square Grade II 55 m