History

Early years
A church has been on the site of the present building for many centuries. The old 11th century church of St. Peter and St. Paul consisted of chancel, nave with north aisle and west tower. The two bells in the tower were cast by John Porter of York in 1388 and dedicated to St. Paul and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church registers, which begin in 1653, are almost complete to the present day. In the 18th century, there was one service monthly and Holy Communion was administered three times a year with about 15 communicants in 1743. The services were conducted with a view to brevity and, so we are told, local youths played football in the churchyard on Sundays. The pulpit was a huge three-decker, reaching almost to the roof and more suited to the Minster than a small country church. The box pews had such high backs that they virtually concealed their occupants and they were not infrequently used as sleeping compartments.

Some of the church wardens were not the pillars of society we expect them to be these days, as the following extract from a book of 1647 shows:
"At York Castle, John Garthwayte, clerk, deposeth that one Herbert Cook, being churchwarden of Heslington, detayneth the register book belonging to the sayd towne, insomuch as this that the minister cannot therein record the names of such persons as are baptized and buried within that parish. And the sayd Herbert Cook sayd that he would burn the sayd register before he would deliver it unto him. The said Herbert Cook is an ordinary frequenter of alehouses upon the Sabbath and Fasting Dayes, and he hath been seen drunk several times on those dayes. He is by common fame a babbler and quarreller. He is such a contentious spirit that his neighbours stand in awe of him in respect of suites at law, and he hath now a dozen suites on foot. The parson actually saw him one daye bunching an old man, and he hath often seen him distempered with drink."

By the mid 19th century, the fabric was in a poor state and the church was considered to be too small. A new church of St. Paul was erected on the same site in 1857-8 at a cost of £3,500. It consisted of chancel, nave, vestry, west tower with spire and south porch. It is of stone, designed by J. B. and W. Atkinson of York and paid for by Alicia Lloyd of Stockton Hall, mother of G. J. Yarburgh of Heslington Hall. Only the bells, the font and two wall plaques remain of the old church. The churchyard, last extended in 1921, contains memorials from the early 18th century. In the north east corner are the graves of the Deramore family, Lords of the Manor in Heslington.

Heslington Church in 1848____

Gravestone from 1777_

Modern developments
Because of new housing estates in the parish and the arrival of the university, the church was again considered to be too small, so extensive alterations were made to the building in 1973, this time at a cost of £96,000. The alterations included the conversion of the chancel to a chapel, the removal of the high altar to an enlarged nave and the addition of meeting rooms, kitchen, toilets and vestries on the north side. It is now the spiritual home of both Anglicans and Methodists and their relationship was formalised in 1983 when Heslington Church was declared a 'Local Ecumenical Project'. The Anglican and Methodist university chaplains are based there also. The two bells from the old church were refurbished at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and rehung in 1989. Heslington Church is a Grade 2* listed building.

Methodism
Methodism is said to have been introduced into Heslington in 1812. Houses were licensed for worship until a chapel was opened by the Wesleyan Association in the 1830s. It was still used in 1851, but no more is known of it. In the 1840s two more chapels were built, by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1844 on the west side of Main Street and by the Independent Methodists in 1847 on the east side. The Wesleyans had fourteen members in 1884. The Independent Methodist chapel was acquired by the Primitive Methodists and registered by them in 1887. The former Wesleyan chapel was closed in 1949 and is now the village meeting room. The second Methodist chapel was used until 1971, when the Methodists and Anglicans arranged for the joint use of St. Paul's parish church.

Sesquicentenary
The year 2008 is the 150th anniversary of the opening of St. Paul's church. (It is the sesquicentenary, if you want a big word for it.) The celebrations of this event will begin on Saturday 24th May and continue till Sunday 7th September 2008. Planning is still taking place but the latest timetable of events is to be found on the sesquicentenary page. It is hoped that a fuller account of the history of the church will be researched and the results will be posted here.

The upper photo shows progress on the banner being produced by the church. It will highlight the history of the parish. The lower photo shows Year 8 pupils from Archbishop's School finding out how the banner is made. They will produce their own banner, aided by members of staff, showing the geography of the parish. The borders of each banner are composed of squares worked on by many different people.

University expansion
Further changes to the circumstances of the church are inevitable as the university expands and occupies a huge site on the other side of the church to the present campus. This will place the church at the geographical centre of the expanded university, so it will become an even more important centre for the university chaplains than it is now. We are aware of the extra challenges this will present.