Description

YORK

SE5952SE MARYGATE
1112-1/12/632 (South East side)
14/06/54 Church of St Olave

GV I

Parish church. Late C15 on C13 foundations; early C18 arcades,
south wall and partial reconstruction of north wall. Chancel
1889, enlarged 1908; vestry 1898, converted to South Chapel
1908; organ chamber 1907, new vestry 1908. Late C19 and early
C20 work by G Fowler Jones of York and JF Doyle of Liverpool.
MATERIALS: magnesian limestone ashlar with tiled and lead
roofs.
PLAN: aisled nave of 6 unequal bays; 2-bay chancel with organ
chamber and vestry to north, chapel to south; west tower and
second vestry to north west.
EXTERIOR: buttressed east end has window of 5 cinquefoiled
lights and panel traceried head in 2-centred arch of
voussoirs. Vestry and chapel east ends are gabled: vestry has
window of 3 trefoiled lights in 2-centred head; chapel 3-light
window with panel traceried 4-centred head.
North side: chancel obscured behind vestry and organ chamber.
Vestry has pointed panelled door and two trefoil headed
windows with square leaded lights: organ chamber two trefoiled
windows with 4-centred heads. Nave on moulded plinth, divided
by 2-stage buttresses. Arched north doorway is of 3
continuously moulded orders and has C18 panelled door with
original furniture. Above is a reset C15 vaulted niche with
crocketed pinnacles containing a standing sculpted figure,
presumably St Olave. Windows are of 3 lights with panel
tracery in hollow-chamfered 3- or 4-centred openings and coved
hoodmoulds: two easternmost are re-used.
Westernmost window is square-headed, of 2 trefoiled lights.
Embattled parapet with gargoyles and crocketed pinnacles.
South side: chancel has three windows with traceried 2-centred
heads. 1-storey chapel in front has doorway with shaped head
and two windows of 2 trefoiled lights with panel tracery in
2-centred heads. Nave divided by 3-stage buttresses: earlier
footings visible beneath chamfered plinth. C18 south door is
panelled, with 2-centred head and original furniture including
knocker, in double chamfered arched opening. Three windows are
of 3 lights with panel traceried 3-centred heads, one has 3
cinquefoiled lights in 4-centred head, all hollow-chamfered.
Westernmost window is of 2 cinquefoiled lights in splayed
surround. Chancel has moulded eaves string beneath embattled
parapet with crocketed pinnacles: nave and chapel have plain
parapets. On south side gargoyle waterspout discharges into
rainwater head dated 1908.
West end: 4-stage tower incorporates 2-storey arch of former
Chapel of St Mary at the Gate at the base. Weathered buttress
and staircase project into angle with south aisle. West window

is of 3 cinquefoiled lights with blind panel tracery in the
2-centred head: small rectangular light in splayed opening
above. Belfry has 4-centred louvred openings with hoodmoulds
to each face. Weathered belfry string; moulded string beneath
plain parapet with crocketed pinnacles and corner gargoyles.
INTERIOR: chancel arcades of three 2-centred arches on
quatrefoil shafts with moulded bases and capitals; continuous
chamfered hoodmould on angel corbels. 2-centred chancel arch
springs from carved corbels. South chapel arch is 4 centred,
double chamfered. Nave arcades of 2-centred double-chamfered
arches carried on octagonal and cylindrical piers and responds
with moulded capitals and bases. Tall narrow 2-centred tower
arch, of 3 chamfered orders to east, 2 to the west, springing
from moulded imposts in splayed jambs. In north wall of tower,
tall round arch in deeply splayed opening leads to vestry; in
south wall is tall pointed recess. South of tower arch is
quoined and chamfered doorway to tower stair. North door
screened by glazed and panelled partition with arcaded lights:
reset stoup within semicircular opening to south.
FITTINGS: include traceried reredos and altarpiece with
crocketed ogee arches, pinnacles, angels with musical
instruments and carving of the Agnus Dei in high relief
flanked by kneeling angels. Octagonal font on stem with
moulded foot and C20 tiered cover. In north aisle, early C19
benefaction board, segment-arched, clustered side shafts,
1766-1871; in south aisle, C18 board in moulded surround with
arched head, 1607-1740. East end of north aisle, carved stone
cartouche with painted shield of Arms of Henry, Prince of
Wales, d.1612. Over South Chapel arch, C15 low relief carving
of the Crucifixion: over south door, C18 marble Madonna and
Child.
MONUMENTS: include wall monument to George Hutchinson, d.1775,
white urn on black marble tablet; wall tablet by the Fishers,
to Alathea Jordan, her husband and daughter, c1778, white urn
on grey marble; shaped wall panel with incised memorial to
Michael Loftus, d.1762, "servant" of the Duke of Ormond;
finely carved cartouche in surround of cherubs and flowers to
William Thornton and son, Robert, c1724.
(An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York:
RCHME: Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO London:
1975-: 25-29).

Listing NGR: SE5985852177

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Olave's Church, York at Wikipedia
• St Olave's Church, York official website
• Wikidata Q7594998

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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