Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, East Moors.
Cowhouse Bank, East Moors, York, North Yorkshire, YO62 5HJ
Built in 1882, when 200 people lived on the moor, it was designed by Temple Moore with a characteristic painted wagon roof and stepped bell tower. Saint Mary Magdalene, Grade II listed, is somewhat isolated on the road to Bransdale, in a churchyard of rhododendrons. Temple Moore also designed the font, reredos, and the wooden partitioning to the south aisle. Before the age of the motorcar, clergy would ride out to East Moors and sleep in a hammock in the south aisle to be on time for the sunday service. The stained glass East window was reputedly by Burlison & Grylls. The church is on the Temple Moor Trail(www.templemooretrail.co.uk). It is also the end of stage 1 of the Saint Aelred's Pilgrim Trail. (www.saintaelredspilgrimtrail.com)
John Betjeman, a passionate advocate for Victorian architecture, devoted a poem to the church at East Moors:
... a stane kirk wi' a wee spire
And a verra wee south aisle
The rhododendrons bloom wi'oot
On ilka Simmer's day
And it's there the Airl o' Feversham
Wad hae his tenants pray
For there's something in the painted roof
And the mouldings round the door,
The braw bench and the plain font
That tells o' Temple Moore.
from “Perp. Revival i' the North” in Collected Poems (London, 1976)
Services are held at Christmas, Easter, Harvest, and the patronal festival: Saint Mary Magdalene's feast day 22 July.
Enter this church, relax, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, remember the many who have worshipped here and those who continue to pray and meditate.
This church will be exhibiting some of the lovely textile artwork by local artist Trudy Sanderson.
Timings & Tours
- Friday 13 September:
- 0900-1700
- Saturday 14 September:
- 0900-1700
- Sunday 15 September:
- 0900-1700
Location & directions
Cowhouse Bank, East Moors, York, North Yorkshire, YO62 5HJ
- Directions:
- Take the Carlton Road out of Helmsley to Bransdale for 4.3. miles. Look for a red telephone box and red post box on the right hand side. The church lies along a grassy path running by the side of the phone box. Park carefully on the grass verges.
- Contact on day:
- Kate Senior, PCC Secretary
- Telephone number:
- +447936539664
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The church lies along a path from the roadside. The path is grassy and can sometimes be wet and muddy.
Additional information
This festival church is part of the Benefice of Helmsley and Upper Ryedale, and is on the new Saint Aelred's Pilgrim Trail. East Moors lies in a beautiful part of the picturesque North York Moors, on a road heading towards Bransdale, one of the most isolated dales in the North York Moors National Park. This was the first church to be built by Temple Moore, one of the Victorian England's greatest church architects. He went on to work with Vicar Gray of Helmsley, and built or modified more than 20 churches in the Moors.
