St Martin's Church, Allerton Mauleverer

St Martin’s Church stands beside Allerton Park, just outside the village of Allerton Mauleverer in North Yorkshire. The present building was remodelled in 1745–46 for Richard Arundell, heir to the Mauleverer family who have owned Allerton Castle for nearly 700 years. The church was first dedicated to Saint Martin in the late 12th or early 13th century by a Mauleverer ancestor. It became redundant in 1971 and was placed in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust two years later. The structure is listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England. The church shows a Norman revival style with ashlar on the west front and coursed limestone elsewhere. Its plan includes a six-bay nave with north and south aisles, transepts, and a two-bay chancel, plus a central tower. The west front has three gables and a round-headed doorway topped by a circular window. Four round-headed windows line each side of the nave, while the east window has five lights in Perpendicular style. The tower rises in three stages and ends in a pyramidal roof with a weather vane. Inside, visitors find a vase-shaped font, a two-decker pulpit with sounding board, and panelled box pews. A hammerbeam roof spans the nave, and iron gates separate the nave from the chancel and transepts. On the chancel arch hangs a painting of Moses and Aaron. The north transept holds four effigies: two wooden knights from the late 13th or early 14th century and two alabaster figures of Sir John Mauleverer and his wife dated 1475. In the south transept lies the large tomb of Mrs Mary Thornton, who died in 1800.