Diocese of York / News & events / News

Visitors to a York church heritage weekend are invited to admire its Victorian stained-glass windows and in particular, the newly-restored rose window. On 25th and 26th June, St Oswald’s Church in Fulford will be opening its doors to showcase the completed works.

The weekend follows a major programme of restoration on the rose window, made possible thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). St Oswald’s received more than £50,000 which funded 75% of the project, with the remaining 25% being raised from within the church and local community. This event is being run to celebrate the successful completion of the project, and it is hoped that the weekend will help to educate residents from Fulford and beyond on their church’s rich Christian heritage.

Alongside tours of the church, there will be displays detailing the restoration project, artwork chronicling the church’s history, and games for children. On Saturday, a stonemasonry demonstration will take place at 12.00pm and 2.00pm, as well as a garden fete with stalls throughout the church grounds. The weekend will conclude with Evensong on Sunday 26th June at 3pm, accompanied by the recently uncovered and retuned organ.

Suzanne Esson, of St Oswald’s Church, said:

“The community of Fulford has really drawn together to create a strong team with helpers contributing in different ways - from offering a warm welcome for our visitors, to preparing refreshments, to giving in-depth information on the history of our stained-glass windows and their faithful benefactors.”

The restoration of the stained glass is not the first large-scale building project at St Oswald’s. Around the church’s 150th anniversary, the 150+ Project was formed to ensure that the building was warm and wind- and rain-proof for another 150 years.”

Suzanne explained the impact the funding has had on the church:

“Thanks to donors’ generosity and additional grants, we also raised sufficient funds to carry out ambitious repairs and restoration of the whole of our church roof.”

Click here to find out more about St Oswald’s heritage weekend.

Visit St Oswald’s Facebook page.