Discover the splendor of St Ninian’s on Baxtergate
Wednesday 24th July

St Ninians’s is the church halfway down Baxtergate. A plain neat building with two flights of iconic steps at the front. Inside a surprise awaits, a large, lavishly decorated interior welcomes you.
St Ninian’s is a proprietary Church, one of only four in the whole country. This means that in 1776, twenty-nine businessmen and ship owners and one woman decided to build a Church at their own expense. They each put in a total of £64 and thus these twenty-nine men and one woman became the first proprietors. The church is still owned by its proprietors, though over the years, shares have been sold and inherited and lost leaving only a few known proprietors today. A new Church was badly needed at this time, the population of Whitby was increasing rapidly, fine houses were being built on the West Cliff for prosperous ship owners and Whitby had become the sixth largest port in England. St Mary’s was the only Church of England place of worship; it was bursting at the seams and besides it was up all those inconvenient steps.
Several plots of land were bought and put together to make the site and the New Chapel as it was to be called, being a Chapel of ease, was built.
By the end of 1778 the building was completed, workmen from the proprietors’ own shipyards were the builders (some of the same men who had built Captain Cook’s ships). This can be seen inside the church with strong pillars resembling ships’ masts, roof joists cut like ships’ timbers and storage cupboards made from ships’ lockers. Large clear windows gave a light and airy feel and the original pews, some of which still remain in the gallery upstairs, were painted a soft pale green.

Deeds for the land and buildings were signed over to the proprietors on the first of October 1778, along with a declaration of trust. This gave each a thirtieth share in the building and land, their own pew for their family and the right to choose their own vicar. This last led to many arguments and disagreements over the years!
The church could hold 800 people, with the wealthy in their own box pews downstairs where there was a stove for warmth and the poorer members of the congregation and servants upstairs in pews or on benches. An interesting and unique feature are the two toilets up there, these are simple holes cut in benches with a bucket underneath. Clearly the Georgians felt little embarrassment about relieving themselves during a long sermon.
Forty years after the opening, a large porch was built to keep out draughts; the altar wall was knocked down and a curved apse was added with choir stalls and a raised space for the altar. In 1863 an important change took place, the ‘Oxford Movement’ was in full swing, introducing the rituals and traditions of the old Catholic Church to the Church of England, often referred to as ‘bells and smells.’ The New Chapel decided to adopt these rituals and rename itself St Ninian’s, St Ninian being a northern saint whose name had been linked to Whitby from earliest times. Not all the proprietors agreed with the new procedures, one complained about ‘highly decorative innovations, romanising and the minister in a surplice and not a gown’.

So it remained ‘High Church’ until 1998. Part of this move entailed huge physical changes in the church during the latter half of the nineteenth century. The box pews downstairs were replaced by dark oak open pews, a rood screen elaborately carved with figures of saints divided these pews from the apse, a rather gloomy colour scheme of maroon picked out with gold was chosen and the altar was surrounded by four gilt pillars topped with golden angels holding candles.
The twentieth century saw splendid stained-glass windows added, showing Christ flanked by St Ninian and St Hilda. In 1914 a new font was made from stone and Purbeck marble. Later local craftsman Thomas Whittaker, known as Gnome Man, carved the altar rails of the Lady Chapel, altar table, side table and stool, all with his signature little gnome carved into the corners. All this was enhanced by a magnificent collection of vestments, altar cloths and numerous church embroideries and tapestries which are currently on view in the church.
The end of the twentieth century saw the withdrawal of the Church of England and the brief introduction of Anglo-Catholicism. By 2020 the church was closed with no priest, no congregation and an uncertain future.
Now it is open again as a community asset with a strong spiritual role. People can come in to light a candle, remember a loved one or sit quietly absorbing the peace and beauty of this wonderful church. Wedding vows have been renewed by romantic couples and events are planned to raise much needed funds for major repairs.
If you haven’t already done so, come and visit, see the work of Whitby’s illustrious forefathers, take a moment away from the busy town centre to enjoy the peace and quiet of this very special place. Always open on Saturdays 11 till 3pm and sometimes open in the week as well.
Article kindly submitted by Jenny Hesketh

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