The Ruins
Our living Church is nestled within the ruins of a much older building that was rendered ruinous during the Civil War Sieges of the Castle and Church. The Tower was used as a lookout during those battles and the building suffered many direct Canon-ball impacts and probably lost it’s roof when the lead was melted down to make Musket Balls! The ‘Useable’ parts were built during the 19th. c. and the 1960’s.
The War memorial and the Barnbow Lasses
The War Memorial is situated to the South West of the main building, and commemorates the fallen of both WWI and WWII, and also includes a memorial to Eleanor Beckett and Jane Few, two of the Barnbow Lasses who lost their lives in the explosion at the Barnbow Shell Works during the First World War.
At the time of the explosion there was very little comment made in the Newspapers of the day. The Government were concerned that such news might be bad for the country’s morale so what comment was made just referred to ‘An Accident’ After the war however the full extent of the disaster in which many lives were lost came to light.
The Double Helix Staircase
All Saints, Pontefract is famous for it’s Double Helix Staircase, which is one of only two in the UK (the other being at St. Edithas, Tamworth), and our’s dates from C1280.
Unique in having a single Newel Post from which spring steps for both staircases, it can be accessed from both a small door inside the building and a more normal sized door from outside the building. Both now lead to the Bell-Ringing Chamber.
The inside door was restored during the 1966/7 building of the modern extension that now forms the main Nave in the Church. Before that the inner staircase was filled with builder’s rubble left from the 19th century restoration.
Originally the staircase would have led all the way to the top of the 82 foot high Octagonal Tower, but today a long (very long!) stepladder has replaced the section from the Ringing Chamber to the old 14th century bell tower.
Today the staircase has 35 steps that form the Double Helix section, with a ‘Drawbridge’ arrangement where the two stairways meet, and the remaining 9 steps are now single in form.
Various theories have been put forward as to why a Double Helix was deemed necessary, but I think the most likely reason for such a complication was to allow access to the Tower from outside the building so as not to disturb any service going on inside, and also to allow access from inside during the service, perhaps for access to the Rood Screen.
Most churches of this age would have had a Rood Screen across the front, separating the Nave and the ordinary people from the Chancel and High Altar where the Mass would be said.
‘Rood’ is old English for ‘Cross’ and to the middle of the screen and above it would have been a Cross / Crucifix, probably with Mary on one side and John on the other side. Access would be needed to these at special times to either cover them up during Lent or deck them out for special celebrations.
The Clock
Our Clock, sited up in the Ringing Chamber, keeps time for our Community and is one of fewer and fewer such clocks that are still manually wound up each week. It keeps very good time, thanks to the generosity a various donors over the years that have allowed it to be kept in wonderful working order.
