Church Of St Lawrence

THIRSK

157/0/10007 CARLTON MINIOTT 04-AUG-05 Church of St Lawrence

II Church, 1895-6, by Charles Hodgson Fowler in brick with stone dressings and single red tiled roof. It has chancel, nave, south porch and spirelet. Windows are narrow with round-headed arches. Chancel has tripartite east window with minimal plate tracery under a single elliptical hood mould. Sill band in stone throughout all facades. South side of chancel has three-light and two-light windows with stone dressings. North side has hipped-roofed vestry along north side with two-light square-headed windows to east and north and square-headed door to west. Nave only marginally wider than chancel, with stepped buttress on south side at junction bearing date stone at base, two two-light windows on north side, on south side one three light window to east, and two two-light windows on either side on the posrch. Porch is shallow, with a stone facade, wide stone buttresses rising to apex topped with a crucifix, and four-centred arch doorway. West window has a lower section with three round-headed arches, divided from the upper section by a transom, upper section having three lancet lights under an elliptiacl hood mould. The spirelet, positioned over the junction of nave and chancel, has a wooden bellcote and pyramidal slate roof.

INTERIOR:chancel east window has tripartite stained glass crucifixion scene incorporating a First World War memorial, carved wooden panelling on lower half of walls, organ recess to north alongside door to vestry, fixed wooden choir pews, barrel vaulted roof painted with geometric and roundel design, with gothic lettereing round the edges. Reredos is in wood with delicate Perpendicular tracery. Vestry on north side of chancel contains Fowler's original plan for the church, and various mounted pieces of decorated wood from the pre-existing church carved with writing in Latin, one with a date of 1621. Pulpit, also from previous church, in carved wood. Nave has a barrel vaulted roof, fixed wooden pews and an octagonal font. Three-light window on south side has stained glass. The pews to the left of the entrance have been removed to create an open space. West window has stained glass to its lower panels showing a nativity scene.

A fine unaltered example of Hodgson Fowler's work, incorporating a rare example of an original decorative scheme in the chancel ceiling.