Church and Community

Carols and Candlelight at St. Helen's Church, Sillingfleet

This year, as Escrick church is closed due to the Heritage Lottery work, we cannot put on the "Christingle Service" on Christmas Eve.

Reverend Richard Kirkman

A kind message from a member of the public! 12.11.18

Good morning,
I met one of your Year 6 pupils on Saturday and wanted to let you and
his family know what a super young man he is!

We were doing the Parkrun at Heslington, and we struck up a conversation
half way round.  It was his first parkrun, and he was wondering how far
round we had got. I encouraged him a bit and before long we were at the
4km mark.  When he could see the end in sight, I was flagging then, and
he encouraged me by saying "You helped me when I was stuck, I will wait
for you now"  I was struck by his compassion and maturity, and if there
are any awards or prizes for that at your school, I think he deserves
one!

Well done to Kai in Year 6! We are all really proud of you.

Heritage Lottery Funding for St. Helen's Church, Escrick

Escrick Parochial Church Council (PCC) is delighted to announce that their “Walking through the centuries with a Legless Knight” project  for St Helen’s Church is to receive a £471,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), thanks to National Lottery players.

With funding now secure, the project will carry out essential conservation work and create a heritage hub bringing to life the interwoven 800 year story of Escrick estate, village and church.

When refurbishing and re-ordering works are completed, the project’s Heritage Activity Plan will invite and encourage wider community involvement with opportunities for people to get involved, sharing and investigating stories, designing village trails and learning and developing new skills.  The hub will also be a valuable resource for individuals, local schools and interest groups.

St Helen’s is a focal point for the local community.  It was built 160 years ago – the anniversary of the consecration was celebrated in July 2017 – and cost £26,000 funded entirely by the Lawley family who were the Estate owners, and were the forebears of the Forbes Adam family who own the estate today.  Charlie Forbes Adam, the present head of the estate is the project’s enthusiastic Champion.  St Helen’s houses a unique array of high quality monuments commemorating ten generations of the land-owning family, many commissioned from renowned European artists, including Giovanni Tognoli, Bertel Thorvaldsen and Count Gleichen, together with Eric Gill and Fishers of York.

Most notable of all is probably the oldest monument, which is over 550 years older than the present Victorian building.  It is the legless stone effigy of a thirteenth century knight, thought to represent Roger de Lascelles, who was once ‘Lord of the Manor’.  Despite having lost his legs centuries ago, the effigy is acknowledged by the Church Monuments Society to be carved to a very high standard and the weathered details tell us much about the fashion of the time and the precise date when it was carved.

During the Y6 Local History Project, we found a patchwork quilt from the 1970s. Each child contributed to the final piece, including some of our current parents!

Looking through some other primary sources, we have found out the following interesting information:

• The current school badge was adopted in the school year of 1997/98, making our current jumper design 20 years old!

• A sewing sampler dating back to 1866 has been re-discovered in our archive.

• In 1916, Escrick School won an all-England vegetable growing competition and were awarded £50, which the school spent on library books.