Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul

The Church of St Peter and St Paul stands on a small hill in the centre of Pickering, a market town in North Yorkshire. Its tall spire rises above the town and can be seen across the Ryedale district. The building is part of the Church of England Diocese of York and holds a collection of medieval wall paintings. It is recognised as a Grade I listed building. Traces of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church remain inside, including a stone font and a carved cross shaft. The church’s walls tell stories from the 15th century. The paintings were commissioned in 1450 but covered over after the Reformation around 1547. They were rediscovered in 1852 when plaster fell from the wall. The vicar at the time disliked the images and had them whitewashed, but a later vicar removed the whitewash in 1876 and restored the murals. The paintings follow the church’s liturgical calendar and show scenes from the lives of saints, the life of Christ, and the Works of Mercy. Visitors find a church with a wide east end, built in 1300 to hold larger services. Two chantry chapels flank the sanctuary, one built in 1337 and the other in 1407, each holding effigies of local knights and their wives. The nave walls are covered with vivid murals, including St George and the Dragon, St Christopher carrying the Child Jesus, and scenes from the Passion and Resurrection. The north and south walls display different sequences, all still in their original places after centuries of hiding and rediscovery.