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| The present structure dates back to 1446, forty-six years before Columbus discovered America. |
On this year’s vacation in England, we hadn’t planned a
return visit to Askrigg. We simply
realized, during our week based outside Lancaster, that we had to return. It wasn’t just the village of Askrigg that
called us back, but the Yorkshire Dales as well. So on the return visit, we enjoyed a relaxing
drive through the gently rolling farmland, taking in a few stops along the way. We arrived in Askrigg around noon, and after a picnic lunch, began our afternoon exploration by
visiting its church.
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| We drove our chair into the church, and secured it to a heater. Then we left to explore Askrigg further. |
What surprised me most, given the size of the village, was the
church’s sheer size. Size- and age-wise,
St. Oswald’s in Askrigg compares favorably with St. Mary’s in Thirsk. While St. Mary’s boasts a more elegant
interior, Thirsk grew in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The money that accompanied growth and expansion funded St. Mary’s lavish
interior. That same money funded the
additions to the smaller St. Oswald’s in adjacent Sowerby, as well as the
building of its parochial hall. By
comparison, the farms around Askrigg, and the village itself, still harken back
to an earlier era, which was one reason the production crew for “All Creatures
Great and Small” decided to film there. Lacking
similar community growth and modernization, additions to the village church
have been more modest.
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| According to the church website, Nikolaus Pevsner, an architectural historian, proclaimed the nave ceiling the finest in North Riding. |
I enjoyed walking though the sanctuary. With every step, I sensed a comfortable, down-home
feeling. The worshippers clearly loved their church, just the way it was. Posters displayed pencil sketches of how the
church looked, inside and out, a hundred years ago. Plaques on the wall weren’t the expensive
affairs of more prosperous towns and cities, but they held their own
allure. I especially liked the tiles
behind the altar that displayed The Lord’s Prayer, The Ten Commandments, and
the Nicene Creed. Of course, I also perused
their collection of used paperback, and donated money for the two science
fiction novels I left with.
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| Words to live by. |
The affection and passion Askrigg holds for its church are
evident on its website. Despite all the changes
time has wrought on England, St. Oswald’s seems to remain at the heart of the
community. Their pages celebrate numerous
aspects of village life, including trumpeting new businesses, advertising opportunities
to learn a different language, informing residents of other religious options, and
celebrating notable locals, from an artist whose work has been exhibited in the
National Gallery, to their beloved postman.
Thus, St. Oswald’s in Askrigg exemplifies a nation in which Church and
State are one. I cannot help but think
that, if we someday return to Askrigg for an extended stay, we would attend St.
Oswald’s regularly, and contribute to the vibrant life of this
Yorkshire village.
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| A pencil sketch of the interior circa 1890. |
Dragon Dave
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