St Columba's United Reformed Church, York

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The church, in 2020

St Columba's United Reformed Church is a historic chapel on Priory Street, in the city centre of York, in England.

In 1873, the minister of the Prospect Street Presbyterian Church in Hull began preaching at the Lecture Hall on Goodramgate in York. In September, 54 local residents signed a petition for the Presbyterian Church of England to recognise the preaching station, which was granted.[1] The congregation grew, in part due to Scottish railway workers and Scottish regiments stationed at the Imphal Barracks.[2] They purchased a site on Priory Street, and Thomas Brownlow Thompson designed a church, which was opened on 6 November 1879. Its construction cost £5,000, and in addition to the main hall, it included a classroom and vestry. An organ was installed in 1907, while in 1949 the pediment on the main front and the corner tower were taken down. Nikolaus Pevsner describes the resulting facade as "a weak composition".[1][3]

In 1972, the Presbyterian Church of England merged with the Congregational Church in England and Wales to become the United Reformed Church.[4] York's Congregational Church, on Lendal, closed in 1995, with the congregation joining that of St Columba.[5] The church established a community foundation in 2008, which offers space in the building for charities and community groups to use for offices and meetings. As of 2015, the church had a congregation of around 70 people.[4]

The church is two storeys high and has a front five bays wide. It is built of white brick and is in the Italianate style, with round-arched windows and pilasters reaching the full height of the building. Inside, there is a west gallery, from which most of the seats have been removed, and three stained glass windows, two with the badges of Scottish regiments of the British Army. The church is partly surrounded by original iron railings.[3][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tillott, P. M. (1961). A History of the County of York: the City of York. London: Victoria County History. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  2. ^ Royle, Edward (1987). Nonconformity in Nineteenth Century York. York: Borthwick Institute. ISBN 9781904497431.
  3. ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus; Neave, David (1995) [1972]. Yorkshire: York and the East Riding. The Buildings of England (2 ed.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09593-7.
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Stephen (29 May 2015). "York charities united in one church". The Press. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Records of the York United Reform Churches and their predecessors". Archives Hub. Jisc. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  6. ^ Seymour, Brian (1992). York's Other Churches and Chapels. Highgate. ISBN 9780948929557.
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53°57′20″N 1°05′18″W / 53.95548°N 1.08840°W / 53.95548; -1.08840