A 15th-century Yorkshire church has been saved from demolition

St Helen's Church in Barmby-on-the-Marsh, near Howden, overlooks Drax power station and parts of the building date back to the 1400s.

In June the charity Friendless Churches signed the transfer of the lease to St Helen's from the Diocese of York, who had struggled to find another use for the church since worship ended 13 years ago.

They will now raise funds to restore the building, which requires significant repair work.

It was put up for sale in 2011 but no buyers came forward, and by 2014 the demolition of the church was mooted, despite its protected status, because of the extensive maintenance needed to keep the structure safe.

There has been a chapel on the site since 1388, and in 1489 the congregation even went to Rome to petition for a grander church to be built. Their request was granted and the nave from this period still survives. There was also a major rebuild of St Helen's in the 19th century.

The graveyard is cared for by East Riding Council and the grounds are said to contain a spring rich in iron, St Helen's Well, which was once thought to have healing properties. Villagers would take the water in the hope that it would protect them from cholera and other diseases.

In a statement, Friendless Churches said: "Last month we signed the transfer, taking the church into our care. The Diocese spent seven years seeking a new use for St Helen's but by 2014, pronounced the search exhausted. Demolition seemed the only answer.

"Access was complicated, the building was in poor condition: it’s easy to see why this decision was reached. Since 2014, we have been working with the commissioners to resolve access issues. In 2019, we held a public consultation and were astonished by the number of people who came, and who wanted to see the church restored.

"The repair issues are structural; the removal of the tie-beam in the nave caused the roof to spread, and the partial collapse of the south porch since closure.

"This is only the beginning. The real work starts now. We are planning repairs. It will be a long road, we will need to raise a lot of money, but we are delighted that we could save this church from the wrecking ball."

The village of Barmby-in-the-Marsh is mentioned in the Domesday Book and William the Conqueror allegedly granted land in the parish to 40 of his loyal soldiers. Its position on the banks of the River Ouse meant it developed as a port that produced sail cloth, rope and linen. Salmon fishing also thrived.

There was a railway station on the line between Barnsley and Hull's docks, but this closed in 1932 and the population of the village today is only around 400. It is located on a 'dead end' road.