Location

Visions meets usually in St Cuthbert's Church, or in the Black Swan Inn. Both are within the city walls of York. If you don't know where York is, it's about halfway between London and Edinburgh, bang in the middle of Yorkshire!

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St Cuthbert's Church

HISTORY - ROMANS The church is outside the Roman Fortress, but the churchyard has produced remains of a Roman building. These include tiles stamped 'LEG IX HISP' signifying the Ninth Spanish Legion which founded York in 71, as well as ones with the stamp of the Sixth Legion. The First World War memorial cross by the tower has the inscription 'In hoc signe vinces' (in this sign you shall conquer). This refers to a vision of a cross which Constantine saw before his victory at the Milvian Bridge in 312. Constantine became Roman Emperor in York in 306, legalised Christianity and became the first Christian emperor.

ST CUTHBERT (c. 634-687) Cuthbert grew up as a simple shepherd boy but became one of the north's greatest saints. He became a monk at Melrose and then Lindisfarne, but retreated as a hermit to the Farne islands. Such was his holiness that he was elected bishop; but he refused the honour, and was only persuaded when the King of Northumbria personally took a boat to his hermitage. He was consecrated Bishop of Lindisfarne on Easter Day 685 in York Minster. There is a legend that he blessed the city of York from near where the church now stands.

MIDDLE AGES AND AFTER The actual origin of the church is lost in the mists of time: it may go back to the time of Cuthbert, or have been founded in the boom period for church founding in York of the 10th century. But it was certainly in existence by 1086, as it is mentioned in the Domesday Book, which mentions William de Percy as patron. By 1238 patronage had passed to the Priory of Holy Trinity Micklegate, York. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, it passed to the Crown, and later to the Archbishop of York.

In about 1400 there was an anchoress (a lady hermit) living in a cell in the churchyard; while in times of unrest the men of St Cuthbert's parish had to man the walls near the church from Layerthorpe postern to the New Tower. In the civil war siege of York in 1644, the church may have suffered bombardment, damaging the-stained glass, and perhaps accentuating the lean on the tower (which was however stabilised in 1864). Six soldiers killed in the fighting were buried here.

The church was largely rebuilt c.1430 by William de Bowes, who was Lord Mayor of York in 1417 and 1428, and MP for York four times. His great grandson Sir Martyn Bowes was a goldsmith. He eventually became Lord Mayor of London and goldsmith to Elizabeth I. He had great love for York, and gave a Sword of state to his native city, which is still used for ceremonial occasions. The Bowes family home was the late 16th century black and white half timbered house across Peasholme Green, now the Black Swan Inn.

WOLFE OF QUEBEC This house later passed to the Thompson family. Edward Thompson's daughter Henrietta married Colonel Edward Wolfe in 1724 at Long Marston. The couple then resided at the house on Peasholme Green, and must have attended St Cuthbert's as their parish church. They moved away to Westerham (Kent) in July 1726 and there on 2nd January 1727 James Wolfe was born. As General Wolfe he died in taking Ouebec from the French 1759 and thus laid the foundations of British Canada. The church has sometimes been therefore referred to as the 'cradle of Canada' although it is not certain that General Wolfe ever came here. The Canadian and American flags hanging in the church commemorate this connection.

NEARLY REDUNDANT - TWICE! In 1547, as part of a move to reduce the excessive number of churches in the city, St Cuthbert's was threatened with demolition. However, Sir Martyn Bowes wrote to the city council and prevailed upon them to spare the church as his ancestor had rebuilt it. In 1586 the parish was amalgamated with St Helen on the Walls, All Saints Peasholme Green, and St Mary's Layerthorpe. In 1965 the church was united with Holy Trinity Heworth, as an interim measure pending a review of city churches by the diocese of York. In the same year the Rev'd David Watson was appointed curate. He told the redundancy commission "if any one comes to this church, and preaches the simple gospel of Christ, believes in the power of prayer and trusts in the Holy Spirit, this building will be full in no time." They gave him one year's grace, before, regretfully, they would have to close St Cuthbert's down. Due to the grace of God, and under David Watson's inspired and faithful preaching of the gospel, the church was full within a year, and soon services had to be relayed to adjoining rooms. David wrote "we praise God that if the redundancy commission came to our church on some Sunday nights, they would be hard pressed to find a seat!"

Eventually the congregation outgrew St Cuthbert's, and in 1973 moved to the much larger and almost redundant church of St Michael le Belfrey. David Watson died of cancer in 1984; there is no memorial to him here - the flourishing church he left behind is perhaps his best memorial. In 1984 St Cuthbert's was further transformed by the creation of offices in the body of the church, designed by Greenwood and Nicholas of York. This award winning structure is so constructed that it does not impinge on the mediaeval structure.

THE BUILDING The church as we see it dates largely to the mid 15th century and is in the perpendicular Gothic style. The east wall contains the outline of a gable which is probably of Anglo-Saxon date, perhaps 10th century, and incorporates a great deal of re-used Roman brick and tile. The offset window of the east wall is probably due to a north aisle having been added to this earlier and narrower chancel, and then incorporated into the 15th century rebuilding.

The interior is notable for the fine mid 15th century roof decorated with carved bosses. It consists of a pair of wooden barrel vaults which butt together at the junction of nave and chancel. The churchyard is raised up due to the number of burials in it. In the 17 years prior to the cholera epidemic of 1832, it was buried in twice over. The graveyard closed in 1837 on the opening of York cemetery. Under the church there is a crypt, which once acted as a charnel house and contains burials of the Hungate family.

FITTINGS

Glass There are some 15th century shields reset in the south windows, as well as many fragments, probably due to damage in the Civil War. In the tower is a modern portrait of St Cuthbert, surrounded by a crow, otters and eagles representing various stories of his affinity with all God's creatures. He is shown holding the head of St Oswald, a Christian King of Northumbria who was killed sacrificially to Woden in 642. His head was buried with St Cuthbert at Lindisfarne, and when the saint's body was moved, Oswald's head shared its wanderings, being eventually buried at Durham Cathedral, where both now rest.

Bells There are two bells in the tower. The inscription on the treble reads 'Gloria in altissimis deo 1673', and on the tenor 'Te deum laudamus 1693'.

Funeral hatchments These large black wooden lozenges were displayed at the funeral of notable persons in the 18th and 19th century. They commemorate Elizabeth Hodgson (south wall) and Redman and Darcy (north wall). There is also a fine memorial on the south wall to Mary Mitley, who died in 1773. Her daughter Mary married William Peckitt, the famous York glass painter (1731-1795).

Mediaeval stone work There is a holy water stoup by the south door; an aumbry (book cupboard) in the chancel north wall; and the fragments of a 13th century grave lid built into the tower wall in the broom cupboard.

Woodwork The south door is original 15th century. There is a fine pulpit of 1636, now minus its base, and an early 17th century communion table. The 19th century Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer and Creed Tables are on the west wall. There is also a mayoral board of the reign of Queen Anne, recording four Lord Mayors as having come from the parish.

THE PRESENT St Cuthbert's is however no museum or monument. It is the busy administrative centre of the combined parishes of St Michael-le-Belfrey and St Cuthbert's, and as such is open to visitors every weekday during office hours. It is in constant use for church meetings, youth groups and services. A recent exciting development is the Visions service run by the Visions community at 8pm on alternate Sundays. This is a multi-media service aimed at young people with no church background. Regular Sunday services at St Michael-le-Belfrey church (next to the Minster) are: 9.15am Morning Worship; 11am Family Service; 7pm Evening Service.

All these many and varied activities continue at both churches, carrying out the work St Cuthbert did so many centuries ago: the worship of God under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World.