Location Image

St Peter and St Felix's Church, Kirby Ravensworth

St Peter and St Felix's Church is an Anglican church in Kirby Hill, a village near Richmond, North Yorkshire, in England. The first church on the site was Anglo-Saxon, while a replacement was probably built in the early 12th century. In about 1180, its chancel was rebuilt, and that is the earliest surviving section of the current building. In about 1300, a vestry was added to the north of the chancel, and the chancel arch was widened. In 1397, the tower and south porch were built, while in the late 15th century, the clerestory and south aisle of the nave were constructed. The church was restored in the 19th century, and was grade I listed in 1969. The church is built of stone with stone slate roofs, and consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel with north vestries and a west tower. The tower has three stages, a chamfered plinth, a stepped diagonal buttress on the left with an inscription, the date, and at the top is a carved figure. On its right is a stair turret, in the bottom stage is a west window with a pointed arch, the middle stage contains clock faces, and the bell openings have two lights. Above them is a string course with gargoyles and shields, and an embattled parapet. The tower has two bells. One is inscribed with the phrase Venite exultemus domino (Latin for "Let us come and praise the Lord", a quotation from Psalm 95), "SS 1664" (the year the bell was added), and the initials of the master founder, Samuel Smith of York. A monument in the church commemorates a former rector, Dr John Dakyn (1497–1558), who was an archdeacon of East Riding. He took part in the Pilgrimage of Grace (and is a noted chronicler of it), but wrote that he "managed to exculpate himself". Other notable rectors of the parish include George Fitzhugh (died 1505), who was a chancellor of Cambridge University and a dean of Lincoln; William Rokeby (died 1521), who was a lord chancellor of Ireland; and Alan Percy (circa 1480–1560), who was a master of St John's College, Cambridge. The church also has a monument to Thomas Wycliffe, who died in 1821; he was the last surviving male descendant of the religious reformer John Wycliffe.

Nearby Places View Menu
Location Image
56 m

Kirby Hill, Richmondshire

Kirby Hill, historically also known as Kirby-on-the-Hill, is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The village is about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Ravensworth and about 4 miles (6 km) north-west of the town of Richmond. The parish population is about 60. At the 2011 census, it was less than 100. Population data about Kirby Hill is now included in population data about the parish of Gayles. Kirby Hill was a township in the parish of Kirkby Ravensworth until 1866, when it was made a separate civil parish. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. As early as 1859, the centre of the village green featured "a beautiful spring". It continued to be used by residents until at least 1932. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described Kirby Hill as "a perfect village, but ... also ... exceptional".
Location Image
582 m

Ravensworth Castle (North Yorkshire)

Ravensworth Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle in the village of Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, England. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.
Location Image
1.1 km

Whashton

Whashton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.
Location Image
1.3 km

Ravensworth

Ravensworth is a village and civil parish in the Holmedale valley, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-west of Richmond and 10 miles (16 km) from Darlington. The parish has a population of 255, according to the 2011 census. Ravensworth was historically situated in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but has been a part of North Yorkshire since 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act of 1972. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. The village has ancient origins, dating back to the time of Viking settlements. In it are the remains of the 14th century, Grade-1-listed Ravensworth Castle, the ancestral home of the FitzHugh family. After the FitzHugh line came to an end, the castle was abandoned. Beginning in the mid-16th century, it began to be dismantled, but the gatehouse remains almost wholly intact. There are a number of listed buildings situated around the village green, mostly dating from the eighteenth century. Many of them were constructed using raw materials from the castle. Today, Ravensworth is primarily a commuter village, and the historically important agricultural sector now employs only a small number of people. Historically, stone mining was important to the local economy. Although it died out in the twentieth century, a sandstone quarry was recently opened just outside the village. Amenities include a primary school, a public house and a large village green. Ravensworth is most frequently mentioned in the media as the home of the former international cricketer Ian Botham.