Riccall (East Yorkshire) St Mary's Church

    Riccall's place in history was secured in 1066 when the banks of the River Ouse here witnessed the landing of Harald Hardrada's army on its way to York. In Domesday Book Riccall is named as a possession of the Canons of York Minster and until the late 12th century the church existed as an aisleless nave and chancel. To this were added a north and south aisle, and a tower, datable by the double belfry window openings under a single arch to c. 1170 - 1190. Of particular interest is the richly carved south doorway, reset when the south aisle was built. The arch has three orders, the outer has beak heads, the middle and inner orders have figures and other motifs. On one of the capitals are splendid depictions of St Peter and St Paul.

Bibliography

Pevsner, D. and Neave, D., 1995. The Buildings of England, Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (London, Penguin), 654-5
Wood, R., 1994. 'The Romanesque doorways of Yorkshire, with special reference to that at St Mary's church, Riccall', Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 66, 59-90