Dewsbury Minster

Dewsbury Minster or All Saints' Church is a Church of England Parish church in Dewsbury, Kirklees, West Yorkshire. It dates from the 13th century and was rebuilt in 1895. It is situated on Vicarage Road and Church Street in the centre of the town. It became a minster church in 1994. In 1949 it became a Grade II* listed church.[1]

Dewsbury Minster
All Saints' Church
North side of church
OS grid referenceSE2459021524
LocationDewsbury, Kirklees
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteDewsburyMinster.org.uk
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated30 June 1949[1]
StyleGothic revival
Administration
ParishDewsbury
DeaneryDewsbury[2]
ArchdeaconryPontefract
Episcopal areaWakefield
DioceseLeeds
ProvinceYork

History

The north arcade of the church dates from 1220. The south arcade was built later that century. The ceiling of the nave was built in the 15th century. The tower and north aisle were built around 1767 and designed by John Carr. Patrick Brontë was a curate at Dewsbury from 1809 to 1811.[3] In 1850, the ceiling was raised allowing more space for an organ loft to be installed. From 1884 to 1888, the church was extended to the designs of A.E. Street (the son of George Edmund Street) and A.H. Kirk.[4] The east window and new pews were added during this time. In 1895, the south aisle was demolished and rebuilt in the Gothic revival style.[1]

In 1912, a new carved-oak reredos was added, depicting Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.[1]

In 2013, the church received a grant from Kirklees Borough Council for £25,000 to build exterior lights to illuminate the church at night.[5]

Dewsbury lies near the River Calder, traditionally on the site where Paulinus preached. Some of the visible stonework in the nave is Saxon, and parts of the church also date to the 13th century. The tower houses "Black Tom", a bell which is rung each Christmas Eve, one toll for each year since Christ's birth, known as the "Devil's Knell", a tradition dating from the 15th century. The bell was given by Sir Thomas de Soothill, in penance for murdering a servant boy in a fit of rage. The tradition was commemorated on a Royal Mail postage stamp in 1986.[6][7]

  • South side of the church
  • Interior

See also

References
  1. Church of All Saints, Dewsbury from British listed buildings, retrieved 6 March 2015
  2. Deaneries at Diocese of Leeds, retrieved 6 March 2015
  3. "Patrick Bronte". Dewsbury Minster. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. The British Architect: A Journal of Architecture and the Accessory Arts, Volume 29, (Pennsylvania State University, 1888) p. vii.
  5. Kirklees Cabinet approve £25k outdoor lights upgrade for Dewsbury Minster from Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 18 December 2013, retrieved 7 March 2015
  6. "Eric Shackle's eBook - Bells". Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  7. Mitchinson, James, ed. (19 December 2020). "A corner of Yorkshire: Dewsbury Minster". The Yorkshire Post. The Magazine. p. 4. ISSN 0963-1496.
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