
From tiny chapels and Medieval market town churches, to magnificent Minsters - Yorkshire has it all.
Whether you are interested in regional history and heritage or simply seeking a place of peace and tranquility, the region's churches will not disappoint. These impressive and inspirational buildings offer a warm welcome to visitors and an insight into the area's rich and diverse cultural heritage.
Just as important to the communities they serve are the many parish churches, chapels and places of worship that are scattered across the region. Leave the main roads and take the time to explore some of Yorkshire's best kept secrets.
Below is a selection of churches in Yorkshire for you to enjoy:
Holy Trinity Goodramgate has the air of a hidden treasure. It stands in a small, secluded, leafy churchyard, with the Minster towering behind, tucked away behind Goodramgate - one of York's busiest shopping streets. To visit, you pass through an 18th-century archway tacked on to buildings that served as artisans' workshops in the 14th century.
With its colourful and vibrant interior, this Victorian church seems the very celebration of life, yet it stands as a testament to tragedy. It is a memorial to Frederick Vyner who, age 23, was captured and murdered by brigands in Greece in 1870.
Nestling in the grounds of Harewood House, All Saints' dates from the 15th century. It is remarkable for six pairs of effigies, dating from 1419 to 1510, commemorating the owners of Harewood and the nearby Gawthorpe estate. They are some of the greatest surviving examples of alabaster carving - virtually without rival in England - and offer a fascinating glimpse into the amour, robes, jewellery and headdresses of the day.
Likened to an old mariner gazing out to sea, St Stephen's stands majestically on the hillside between Whitby and Ravenscar, overlooking Robin Hood's Bay. Built in 1821, its appearance can be severe but the church resonates with the history of a resilient North Sea fishing community.
This atmospheric, partly ruined building started life as a church in the 15th century but was converted to a mausoleum in 1877 after a new church was commissioned. Today, only the chancel and north chapel remain intact.
Built on 8th-century Saxon foundations, this 13th-century church sits on the bank of the river Ure at the eastern end of picturesque Wensleydale. Inside, its rich history is all around, with good examples of Medieval wall paintings, fine Flemish brasses and a 15th-century reliquary, which is claimed to have once held the relics of St Agatha.
Since being rescued by a group of walkers in 1931, St Mary's has been known as the Ramblers' Church. The repairs made then are recorded on the back of the church door. The church stands alone in the middle of a field filled with the bumps and furrows of earthworks that indicate the site of a Medieval manor house, for which St Mary's was probably originally the chapel.
Set near a beautiful village green, this unusual barrel-vaulted neo-Norman church has many interesting furnishings including a Jacobean pulpit, a 17th-century communion table and a vestry door from York Minster. This church is one of 340 cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust - the national charity protecting historic churches at risk.
This Halifax landmark is one of most magnificent buildings designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott and paid for by Edward Akroyd, a Halifax manufacturer. Scott thought it his best church but he still lamented it was not grander still. Completed in 1859, it has a 72-metre-high spire and dazzling stained glass created by Victorian master craftsmen.
Whether you're interested in history and heritage or simply seeking a place of peace and tranquility, Yorkshire's religious ruins will not disappoint.