All Saints Church, Rudston: The Grade I-listed church with a pagan ceremonial stone in the churchyard

Its name was probably derived from the Old English word “rood” for a stone cross.

This refers to the church’s most famous feature, the Rudston Monolith, which stands more than 25ft (7.6m) high in the parish churchyard and is said to be the tallest standing stone in the UK.

Archaeologists believe the stone was quarried around 1600BC at Cayton Bay, ten miles to the north, and had been used in pagan ceremonies.

One local legend suggests the monolith was thrown at the church by the devil but landed just short.

On the edge of the churchyard is the grave of the writer Winifred Holtby, who died in 1935 aged 37.

She is best known for her novel South Riding, published posthumously in 1936 and later adapted as a film and two TV series.

All that remains of the original All Saints is 4ft thick walls in the lower tower and the first font.

The church was enlarged in the 1400s; a gallery installed in 1748, providing space for the parish orchestra; and there were extensive renovations in the Victorian era, including the installation of a massive four-manual organ built by Wordsworth & Maskell of Leeds, and the addition of a clock tower in 1882.

The church is still used for worship and houses the Rudston Heritage Centre, which includes a 3D model of the village.