Heritage in Leake

A look at the history of St Mary’s Church, Leake, with Dr Emma Wells

In this Yorkshire.com history and heritage feature, Dr Emma Wells uncovers the remarkable story of St Mary’s Church, Leake near Thirsk and Northallerton, a Grade I listed medieval parish church with Norman origins dating to c.1100. From its Saxon cross and 13th-century piscina to later Gothic additions and Jacobean furnishings, the church stands as a rare architectural palimpsest, preserving nearly 1,000 years of religious, social and manorial history in rural North Yorkshire.