---
title: "St Helen, Escrick"
description: "Located in Escrick, Yorkshire. Built 1857; restored 1923–25 after fire. Diocese of York. Grade II*. Gothic Revival style."
category: "Church"
tags: ["Church","Church of England","Yorkshire","Escrick","Grade II*","Gothic Revival","Francis Cranmer Penrose","John Bilson"]
canonical: "https://thebritishgazette.com/post/st-helen-escrick"
pubDate: "2026-09-06T01:40:05.672Z"
dateModified: "2026-09-09T12:30:02.233Z"
location: "Escrick, Yorkshire"
country: "England"
county: "Yorkshire"
town: "Escrick"
address: "St Helen, Main Street, Escrick, Yorkshire, YO19 6LE"
postcode: "YO19 6LE"
built: "1857; restored 1923–25 after fire"
consecrated: "1857"
architect: "Francis Cranmer Penrose; John Bilson (1923–25 restoration)"
denomination: "Church of England"
dedications: ["Helen"]
diocese: "York"
grade: "II*"
style: "Gothic Revival"
website: "https://www.escrickheritage.org/"
openingHours: "Open daily 9am to 4pm. Regular services take place on both Sunday and Thursday mornings."
parish: "Escrick"
listEntryUrl: "https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1167966"
gridReference: "SE 628 431"
accessNotes: "Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets in church"
---

# St Helen, Escrick

St Helen is a Grade II* Gothic Revival parish church on York Road, Escrick, North Yorkshire, in the Diocese of York. It was designed by Francis Cranmer Penrose, paid for by Lord Wenlock and his family, and consecrated in 1857 as the third parish church in the village.

## Overview

Historic England and British Listed Buildings describe a large church with a five-stage north-east tower, two-bay apsidal chancel, an eight-sided west apse and a nave with north aisle. The interior has a pointed arcade on clustered piers, marble columns and a marble font supported by three putti. Monuments include an early fourteenth-century knight's effigy, work by Thorwaldsen and Fishers of York, a recumbent figure of Lady Wenlock by Count Gleichen, and a plaque by Eric Gill.

Parish and heritage accounts record that this is the second church on the present site: a medieval church near the manor was replaced in the 1780s by a building attributed to John Carr of York, then by Penrose's church a little to the east. A fire in 1923 gutted the Victorian building; Hull architect John Bilson restored it, reopening in 1925, and designed the east windows made by James Powell and Sons of Whitefriars.

## Further Information

- [Historic England list entry 1167966](https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1167966)
- [British Listed Buildings: Church of St Helen](https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101167966-church-of-st-helen-escrick)
- [Escrick Heritage](https://www.escrickheritage.org/)