Welcome to our Church
Home of the famous Medieval Wall Paintings
St Peter and St Paul’s is a living Church, part of the Church of England Diocese of York. We have a large and active congregation, who continue a thousand year old tradition of prayer and worship.
The Church is also popular with couples wanting marriage or baptism for their children; it is well used by the town for civic and community occasions and concerts, and provides a real focal point for Ryedale. Its extensive medieval wall paintings also make it a wonderful source of enjoyment for pilgrims and visitors from all over the world.
The Church is open daily and is a space of great peace, valued by many who seek to draw closer to God in public worship or private prayer. So once you have explored this website, come and explore for yourself this ‘House of God and gate of heaven’.
Our Parish Safeguarding Representative is Judith Short, who also represents the benefice parishes of Marishes, Lockton and Levisham. She can be contacted on 07415847626 or 01751 473769 theshortsof61@yahoo.co.uk and our policy and other Safeguarding information is available here
We would like to thank everyone who allowed us to use their photographs for our website.
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Some history of the building
The Church you see today was built on the site of an earlier, Saxon building. Little is known about this early Church, and all that remains is a carved cross shaft and the bowl of the stone font. The Saxon Church on this site may well have been wasted during William the Conqueror’s ‘harrying of the North’.
The early Norman Church, which was built around 1140, would have been of simple cruciform layout, with a central tower surrounded by a nave, a chancel and two transepts. Soon, aisles were added to this original structure: the north aisle in about 1150 and the south aisle towards the end of the twelfth century. The present west tower was built in the early part of the thirteenth century, and sometime in the fourteenth century the chancel was widened to cope with the liturgies of the period. A porch was also added, and then, in the fifteenth century, two chantry chapels, either side of the high altar. On the abolition of the chantries, the Roucliffe Chapel, on the south side of the sanctuary, was for some time a school, before, in 1920, undergoing renovations to restore it to liturgical use.
The medieval wall paintings, which give our church its fame, were probably first commissioned in 1450, and were painted the following decade, as details in the costumes and armour of some of the figures makes clear. Nikolaus Pevsner, the renowned expert on architectural history said that ‘This is one of the most complete set of wall paintings… and they give one a vivid idea of what ecclesiastical interiors were really like’. They are in fact one of about five sets of such extensive wall paintings still in existence in the country. The images vary in scale and in what they depict: some are large single figures; others tell stories. Details of each scene are given in the guide book, available from the Church bookstall.
Probably at the time of the Reformation, and certainly with the spread of Puritanism, the paintings were hidden from view with coats of whitewash. Only in 1852, with work being carried out to repair and clean the nave, were the paintings revealed. The Vicar at the time, the Rev’d Ponsonby, wanted them re-covered, showing his dislike of them in a letter to the Archbishop of York: ‘As a work of art [they are] fairly ridiculous, would excite feelings of curiosity, and distract the congregation’. He went on to say that ‘the paintings are out of place in a protestant Church, especially in these dangerous times’; he subsequently had them re-covered in a thick yellow wash within a fortnight of the discovery. Fortunately, what had been revealed was recorded by drawings made by W H Dykes, an assistant architect at Durham Cathedral.
In the 1870s the Church underwent extensive restoration, particularly to the tower and transepts. Box pews were replaced with the present oak pews and two galleries were dismantled. A decade later, once the restoration and reordering of the fabric was complete, the firm Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster were contracted to restore the paintings. Though a lot of damage was done to the paintings by removing the covering paint and the memorials which lined the nave wall, the Vicar, Rev’d Lightfoot, insisted that where it was possible, restoration should take place rather than leaving fragments. The paintings were consequently extensively repainted and the whole project was finished by 1895.
The interior of the Church remained true to the plans of the Victorian restorers for most of the twentieth century. The chancel screen was erected in 1927 and the oak panelling of the sanctuary was completed in the same decade, with a new reredos dedicated in 1930. The vestries were added in the 1930s.
St Peter and St Paul’s continues to change with the needs of the community it serves, and in 1997, the Parochial Church Council decided to carry out an extensive reordering. Pews were removed from the west end of the nave to allow the font to be replaced and to provide an open space for congregating after services. The south transept was established as a memorial chapel, and the north transept was screened off to provide more storage space. The vestries were refurbished, and the whole project was completed in 2008. In 2016, and thanks to a grant made available under the Government’s Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, the roof of the north transept was repaired.
For nearly one thousand years, generations of Pickering’s residents have worshipped in this Church, been baptised in the font, married at the altar steps, and have had their funerals here. The work of this Church continues to this day with a vigorous body of worshippers and communicants, who continue to take part in regular worship. This Church is Pickering’s Parish Church and seeks to serve the whole community and to be there for all who need its ministry.
Guide books, with more information about the history of the Church and its interior, are available from the Church bookstall.
The early Norman Church, which was built around 1140, would have been of simple cruciform layout, with a central tower surrounded by a nave, a chancel and two transepts. Soon, aisles were added to this original structure: the north aisle in about 1150 and the south aisle towards the end of the twelfth century. The present west tower was built in the early part of the thirteenth century, and sometime in the fourteenth century the chancel was widened to cope with the liturgies of the period. A porch was also added, and then, in the fifteenth century, two chantry chapels, either side of the high altar. On the abolition of the chantries, the Roucliffe Chapel, on the south side of the sanctuary, was for some time a school, before, in 1920, undergoing renovations to restore it to liturgical use.
The medieval wall paintings, which give our church its fame, were probably first commissioned in 1450, and were painted the following decade, as details in the costumes and armour of some of the figures makes clear. Nikolaus Pevsner, the renowned expert on architectural history said that ‘This is one of the most complete set of wall paintings… and they give one a vivid idea of what ecclesiastical interiors were really like’. They are in fact one of about five sets of such extensive wall paintings still in existence in the country. The images vary in scale and in what they depict: some are large single figures; others tell stories. Details of each scene are given in the guide book, available from the Church bookstall.
Probably at the time of the Reformation, and certainly with the spread of Puritanism, the paintings were hidden from view with coats of whitewash. Only in 1852, with work being carried out to repair and clean the nave, were the paintings revealed. The Vicar at the time, the Rev’d Ponsonby, wanted them re-covered, showing his dislike of them in a letter to the Archbishop of York: ‘As a work of art [they are] fairly ridiculous, would excite feelings of curiosity, and distract the congregation’. He went on to say that ‘the paintings are out of place in a protestant Church, especially in these dangerous times’; he subsequently had them re-covered in a thick yellow wash within a fortnight of the discovery. Fortunately, what had been revealed was recorded by drawings made by W H Dykes, an assistant architect at Durham Cathedral.
In the 1870s the Church underwent extensive restoration, particularly to the tower and transepts. Box pews were replaced with the present oak pews and two galleries were dismantled. A decade later, once the restoration and reordering of the fabric was complete, the firm Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster were contracted to restore the paintings. Though a lot of damage was done to the paintings by removing the covering paint and the memorials which lined the nave wall, the Vicar, Rev’d Lightfoot, insisted that where it was possible, restoration should take place rather than leaving fragments. The paintings were consequently extensively repainted and the whole project was finished by 1895.
The interior of the Church remained true to the plans of the Victorian restorers for most of the twentieth century. The chancel screen was erected in 1927 and the oak panelling of the sanctuary was completed in the same decade, with a new reredos dedicated in 1930. The vestries were added in the 1930s.
St Peter and St Paul’s continues to change with the needs of the community it serves, and in 1997, the Parochial Church Council decided to carry out an extensive reordering. Pews were removed from the west end of the nave to allow the font to be replaced and to provide an open space for congregating after services. The south transept was established as a memorial chapel, and the north transept was screened off to provide more storage space. The vestries were refurbished, and the whole project was completed in 2008. In 2016, and thanks to a grant made available under the Government’s Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, the roof of the north transept was repaired.
For nearly one thousand years, generations of Pickering’s residents have worshipped in this Church, been baptised in the font, married at the altar steps, and have had their funerals here. The work of this Church continues to this day with a vigorous body of worshippers and communicants, who continue to take part in regular worship. This Church is Pickering’s Parish Church and seeks to serve the whole community and to be there for all who need its ministry.
Guide books, with more information about the history of the Church and its interior, are available from the Church bookstall.
Can you find the monk hidden in one of the stained glass windows?
From the Visitor's Book last month
During July we had visitors from Sheffield, Maryland, Clitheroe, Harrogate, Amsterdam, Hampshire, Maldon, Brighton, London, Cardiff, Castletown, Hertfordshire, Middlesbrough USA, Barnsley, Cheshire, Reading, Portugal, Lancashire, Oklahoma, Hamburg, Durham, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Ipswich, Cleveland Ohio, Haverhill, Brighouse, Salisbury, Denmark, Llandrindod Wells, High Wycombe, Victoria, Tyne & Wear, Hilton Head Islands USA, Arkansas, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Basingstoke, Guildford, Northchurch, Gosport, Norfolk, Staffordshire, Southampton, Hull, Lincoln, Sussex, Worcester, Hungary, Auckland, Bedford, Maghull, Horsham, Potters Bar, Stoke-on-Trent, Barnstaple, Groningen, Shropshire, Bury St Edmunds, Woodbury, East Ardsley, Skinningrove, Holme on Spalding Moor, Coventry, York, Skipton, Settle, Methley, Denmark, Cumbria, Northumberland, Oxford, Netherlands, Scotland, Winchester, Tennessee, Cornwall, Poynton, Warwickshire, Pennsylvania, Dorset, Bangor, St. Martine France, Somerset, County Tyrone, Fenham, Sunderland, Flintshire, Wigan, Forest Row, Wetherby, Stanford University, Mirfield, Loughborough, North Ferriby, Bedford, Leeds, Canada, Brinscall, Bolton, Bangkok, South Africa, Burnley, Teesside, Illinois, Chorley, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Birmingham and Southport.
No matter how many times I come to Pickering, I always come into this beautiful church.
Beautiful, tranquil church. Lovely to hear the bells too.
Remarkable survival!
This is a church the like of which I have never seen before. The paintings on the walls not destroyed! A very informative visit and really like the way the church is kept. Thank you.
Wow! This church is beautiful!
Very impressed by the wall paintings, lovely church and surroundings.
Lovely small town and church. Wonderful condition of paintings.
Always grateful to be able to enter a church when in need of spiritual guidance. Thank you.
Beautiful paintings and a very peaceful setting.
Lovely church, fascinating paintings. Bought the guide book for descriptions etc.
Visiting your lovely church. Quite delightful and serene.
A beautiful and peaceful place of worship. Such amazing paintings, such friendly locals too!
Wonderful history - delightful to see.
What a peaceful, historic church.
A welcoming church with stunning medieval wall paintings. A delightful visit, thank you for the open doors. Thanks for the fresh water for our dog, Didi too - she was most grateful!
Thanks for allowing us to see a beautiful piece of history.
We have enjoyed our visit, particularly the paintings - amazingly preserved.
An amazing church - what a find on our journeys!!
Phenomenal. Came here specially to see the wall paintings. Most impressive!
A beautiful church, especially the Anglo-Saxon font and paintings. Also I love the leaflets and information available.
The medieval paintings are truly amazing, located in this beautiful church.
This church never ceases to amaze and delight me.
A treasure that is to be preserved at all costs.
A truly beautiful and peaceful church.
Thank you for letting us know when the church was open 1 also where to park and get to the church without encountering any steps! Beautiful paintings. Lots of interesting features. Really enjoyed our visit.
A very special place. The paintings are truly remarkable - a fantastic reminder of the different way of engaging a congregation in the wonder of God.
Wonderful imagery, what a unique church!
Nice warm and clean church with fresh flowers. Obviously well cared-for. Bright cheerful children's corner. Beautiful paintings too.
Second visit to Pickering but first to this church. Beautiful.
A beautiful church, thank you for leaving it open for all to see. We pray for the congregation that worships here. Ss Peter and Paul pray for us. Amen.
Wonderful, beautiful. Thank you for taking such care of your church. The bells sound wonderful when they're ringing.
Celebrating our 47th Wedding Anniversary - beautiful church and intriguing paintings.
Last here during the war. Evacuated here 1941-1943. Never forgotten what a friendly, beautiful place it was. It still looks good!
Beautiful church and paintings - what a lovely find!
Thank you for preserving such a gem! One of the most stunning churches I've been into for a long time!
A beautiful, original and peaceful church, a delight to visit. Thank you for being dog friendly, it gave them a lovely cool spot to rest too.
Amazed by the beauty of the church and paintings. Wonderful. A great gift from the past.
Beautiful paintings - a rare glimpse of medieval religious art.
What a great job uncovering the paintings so completely. Ely Cathedral has some partially uncovered but these are more extensive.
Visited Pickering many times but never the church - a treasure we missed but are now grateful to have seen.
Better than the Sistine Chapel!
Very impressive and lovely atmosphere. We just got engaged! :)
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