Church of St Mary and St Alkelda

CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST ALKELDA, KIRKGATE

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1318544
Date first listed:
15-Feb-1967
List Entry Name:
Church of St Mary and St Alkelda
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST ALKELDA, KIRKGATE
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Date:
2003-03-12
Reference:
IOE01/09910/12
Rights:
© Mr David H. Brown. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1318544
Date first listed:
15-Feb-1967
List Entry Name:
Church of St Mary and St Alkelda
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST ALKELDA, KIRKGATE

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST ALKELDA, KIRKGATE

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Middleham
National Grid Reference:
SE 12632 87878

Details

SE 18 NW
9/104
15.2.67

MIDDLEHAM
KIRKGATE
(west side)
Church of St Mary and St Alkelda
(Formerly listed under General)

GV
I

Church. C14 and C15. Rubble, roof not visible. West tower, nave and
chancel with aisles, south porch. 3-storey embattled tower with stepped
Diagonal buttreses to west. 3-light Perpendicular west window. To south,
single-chamfered doorway to stairs, 3-light vents above, small first-floor
window with trefoil head. On all 4 sides, belfry openings of 2 lights with
cinquefoil heads. Corner finials. C19 south porch. Altered Decorated
south doorway with roll-moulding to jambs and single-chamfered pointed arch
with label. Above, C14 relief sculpture of the Crucifixion with flanking
figures. C19 priest's door. To south nave and chancel aisles, 5 two- and
3-light windows with trefoil tracery under flat heads with hoodmoulds.
Blank parapets with gargoyles. Clerestory windows of similar pattern. To
north nave aisle three 2-light windows with trefoil tracery under flat heads
with hoodmoulds. Parapets and clerestory as on south. North chancel aisle
with C19 doorway to vestry, 4-light window and chimney. 2-light Decorated
windows to west of north and south aisles. 3-light east window with
reticulated tracery to south aisle. 4-light chancel east window with
curvilinear tracery; C19 Decorated window to vestry. Interior: 4-bay
Decorated arcades of 2 chamfered orders with octagonal piers on tall
broached bases and simple capitals. Matching tower arch, and wide chancel
arch. Semicircular arch to south chancel aisle, C19 arch to vestry. C14
font with octagonal coarse gritstone bowl on octagonal shaft resting on
round base, and tall Perpendicular canopy. On north wall of tower, grave
cover of Robert Thornton, Abbot of Jervaulx, died 1510. On south wall of
tower, early C18 benefaction boards and brass of 1734. In north aisle,
window lintels are re-used medieval grave covers, also Celtic-type cross-
head of c1920 formerly on Market Cross. In north aisle west window,
fragments of stained glass including scene of martyrdom of St Alkelda. In
south aisle, C18 altar table. South wall: monument to Dean Edward Place,
died 1785. In nave floor part of Saxon cross-shaft with interlaced carving.
Chancel has C19 stencilled wall painting. Middleham Church was elevated to
a collegiate body with a Dean, 6 chaplains, 4 clerks and 6 choristers in
1477 by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III, its a royal
foundation it survived the Dissolution, although the prebendal appointments
lapsed. An attempt was made to revive them in 1814 but the post of Dean was
replaced by one of Rector in 1840. VCH, i, pp 255-6. J M Melhuish, The
College of King Richard III Middleham, 1983.

Listing NGR: SE1263287878

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
321665
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of York, (1907), 255-6
Melhuish, JM, The College of King Richard III Middleham, (1983)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St Mary and St Alkelda

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 11-Jun-2026 at 14:42:00.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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