Church of St Sampson - York, Great Britain. - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

The main claim to fame of this church is that the Bell Tower was destroyed by cannon fire in 1644 in the Civil War siege of York.
The tower was later restored, but was again in ruin by 1845.

"St Sampson. Church Street, passed to the crown in the 14th century. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century with an undivided nave and chancel, north and south aisles and a tower. The church had three chantries founded in 1268, 1337 and 1405. An attempt to unite the church with St Helen’s in 1549 was rescinded by Parliament. According to records during the Civil War siege of York in 1644 the tower was “shot through and through”. It was also said during the Puritan era “not so much as one tomb, monument or gravestone was left to us”. The church was in a bad state by 1845 and underwent restoration. The church was closed in 1969 and became an old people’s centre five years later. Some of the original glass remains." Text source: (visit link)

"The great interest of St. Sampson's lies in the fact that it is the only church in the country dedicated to the legendary Archbishop of York who was supposedly installed by King Arthur's uncle, Ambrosius Aurelianus, after repelling a force of Saxon invaders in AD 466. The building appears to have originally been built into the wall of the old Roman city. Part of an early 11th century cross shaft, found in the area, certainly shows its ancient origins.

The tower of this 15th century church was heavily damaged by cannon fire during the Civil War Siege of York in 1644. It was later restored but, by 1845, the whole building was almost a complete ruin, apparently due to a bad fire. Rebuilt soon afterward, it closed for worship in 1969. It stands just off St. Sampson's Square, and is now a day centre for the city's senior citizens." Text source: (visit link)

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1154 Age of Church building determined by?: Historical Society If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Catholic then Anglican Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Not listed Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: Not Listed Street address of Church: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/12/2017 Master Mariner visited it 08/13/2016 patch67 visited it 03/18/2014 veritas vita visited it

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