Church Of St Helen

A church of 12th-century origin, substantially retaining its medieval character despite later modifications and a major Victorian restoration. The building stands on Church Street in Bilton in Ainsty, north of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire.

The church is constructed of coursed limestone rubble and cobbles with a tile roof. It comprises a 4-bay nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west bellcote; the chancel has 3 bays and is flanked by a north vestry and south chapel. Windows are largely from the 15th and 17th centuries, and the building underwent restoration in 1869-71 under Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The south porch is a notable feature. Its outer arch has 2 orders of colonettes with waterleaf and decorated capitals and a double-chamfered round arch. The inner doorway is slightly chamfered and opens through a door made of wide planks with long strap hinges and wooden fillets reinforced with iron nails. The doorhead is carved with a scallop shell design and the date 1633. The initials R.S. (Robert Snawsell) are picked out in nails. Below these are incised zigzag lines surmounted by 3 points with the number 44 below the letter R, traditionally interpreted as a depiction of King Charles I. The porch roof contains remains of 2 arch-braced roof trusses, the braces now missing but with bosses still visible; these are possibly recycled from the original chancel roof.

The south wall of the nave features stepped buttresses and square chamfered windows with iron grills flanking the porch, with a paired-light window further to the right. The chancel's south chapel wall has 2 similarly straight-headed windows and a chamfered doorway between them. The east window has 3 cusped lights with a hoodmould. The north side fenestration matches the south side, and a blocked north doorway to the nave is slightly chamfered. The west wall carries a tall 12th-century window (restored) and a circular window above it. The 19th-century bellcote has 2 round arches with string courses. Large buttresses separate the west nave wall from both aisles. The north aisle displays a row of weathered carved stones, not in their original positions, including shields. The south aisle contains a re-set narrow window in Saxon or Norman style.

Internally, the 3-bay arcades on both sides have circular piers with simply moulded bases and capitals. The south arcade capitals are decorated with pellets and fleur-de-lis; the round arches are double chamfered. The chancel arch has a heavy roll moulding overlaid by giant zigzags on both the west and east sides.

The chancel retains the remains of a piscina at its east end. The original north and south exterior walls are visible from the north aisle and south chapel; the eaves corbels are carved with faces, animals and birds. The north chancel wall is pierced by one chamfered pointed arch, the south wall by 2. Remains of mass dials are scratched onto the limestone blocks of the original south wall.

Several carved stone fragments are preserved within the church. These include part of a Saxon cross against the west wall, an unweathered wrinkled face on a north window sill, and 3 fragments of 10th-century Anglo-Danish crosses decorated with figures and interlace in the south chapel. A particularly fine monument of around 1400 is located in the north chancel aisle, depicting a woman with feet resting on a dog and hands holding a bird; her hair is arranged in a plait held in place by a decorated band.

The furnishings include a large plain bowl font on an octagonal stem, a 16th to 17th-century altar table with legs decorated as Ionic columns, and an eagle lectern with a 17th-century body but 1869 feet, wings and head. The altar rail was replaced around 1965.

The Saxon remains were discovered in the walling during the 1869 restoration. The west gallery was removed at that time. The church probably had a bell tower in the 17th century.