Pocklington All Saints church starts £40,000 fundraising campaign to restore unique Victorian porch tiles

A launch event to kick-start a major fundraising campaign at Pocklington’s All Saints church will take place on Saturday, April 2.
Churchwardens Nigel Laws, Rev Jake Belder and Tina Lumley show some of the broken tiles.Churchwardens Nigel Laws, Rev Jake Belder and Tina Lumley show some of the broken tiles.
Churchwardens Nigel Laws, Rev Jake Belder and Tina Lumley show some of the broken tiles.

A talk, delivered by local historian Phil Gilbank, will raise money to help pay for the restoration of the church’s famous porch tiles.

The appeal has been named ‘Hundreds of Tiles, Thousands of Feet’. It is estimated that £40,000 is needed to restore the unique porch area to its former glory.

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The porch tiling is an outstanding example of Victorian craftsmanship but it is cracking up at an increasing rate.

What makes the porch so special is that it was created from Minton tiles designed by Augustus Pugin – famous names that both have a local connection.

The area is made from encaustic tiles and it is rated as an impressive example, with one West Yorkshire authority of church flooring saying: ‘There are spectacular examples of Minton tiles, in the choir of Lichfield Cathedral, for example and on a smaller scale in the porch of Pocklington Parish Church’.

A spokesman said: “The floor was laid in 1885 as part of a new porch – All Saints was in a perilous state in the late 19th Century and it was perhaps lucky that only the porch, and not the main edifice, blew down in a great storm of 1884.

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“The new porch incorporated some features of the original but was very different in other respects, for example it included side windows.

“And when it came to laying a new floor, the architect followed the fashion of the day by choosing encaustic tiles.

“All Saints is a Grade 1 listed building so a basic repair is not an option and we have to restore it the the highest standards.”

The special talk, which will start at 7.30pm, will explain the Pocklington connections to Minton, Pugin, and even reveal a link to Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. Tickets are priced at £10 and include wine, canapes and a recital of live music.

They are available from the church office on 01759 306045 or email [email protected].

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