20th Century Church

4.4 The church today IMAGE DSC 0014 (Caption: work under way in 2022)

The church you see today is the result of our most recent restoration project, but this has mostly been about sensitive repair and cleaning. The interior you see today was extensively remodelled in the 1970s by the York architect Ronald Sims, who worked closely with George Pace. Sims designed the hanging lights and the striking wooden ceiling, intended to evoke the original mediaeval vaulted ceilings of Perpendicular churches. The floor was relaid with limestone flagstones in the 1980s and a kitchen area installed in the early 21st century.

Read more: IMAGE E Brown spares (Caption: some of the restoration work undertaken by Edward Brown 1981-1991)

One of Skirlaugh’s heroes is the late parishioner, Edward Brown. A self-taught mason, Edward undertook the overall work of cleaning, pointing and selective stonework replacement under the direction of Ronald Sims as an unpaid volunteer. Edward’s voluntary full-time work over the ten years from 1981 to 1991 is marked by a memorial plaque in the porch, but the church is forever in his debt.