Visitors to a Yorkshire Dales church can now learn about its medieval past with a modern interpretation board in the churchyard.
The information board at St Mary’s, Embsay-with-Eastby, near Skipton was unveiled and blessed by Bishop James Bell, the Bishop of Ripon , when he came to lead the worship at the service on on Sunday 25th July.
The church has been engaged with the local community in a major project, “A Roof for the Future and Discovering our Past” , which has received Heritage Lottery funding and support from the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The interpretation board is the first visible outcome of the project, but major re-roofing of the church is also nearing completion.
The signboard is the result of research into the church’s fascinating past and making that accessible for visitors and tourists.
Although St Mary’s, the present church, was built in 1853, Embsay was the site of a priory for a small Augustinian community founded in the 12th century. The monks later moved across the fields to found Bolton Abbey.
The design for the board complements the production of a new history of St Mary’s which will be published in September as well as some detailed research into those people who have been buried in the churchyard and their links with the village.