St Mary’s Church, Redmire

St Mary’s Church at Redmire near Leyburn in North Yorkshire is some way out of the village, tucked away down a lane and almost hidden by trees. It was certainly worth the journey, even though it is rather small and bereft of architectural flourish such as other parish churches are wont to have, such as a tower and ornate, gothic window tracery. This is a Norman church, and despite a ‘restoration’ late in Victoria’s reign, it has retained its archaic character.  

The whitewashed walls likely conceal ancient paintings and the simple features and lack of distraction must surely focus the worshipper’s mind on that which is said and done before him. The church is long and thin, having no transepts.

It is surprisingly bright, owing to its several thin, lancet windows having their surrounding, internal masonry cut at 45-degree angles, which allows their light to spread and diffuse about the building. This is a clever way of maximising illumination. Older churches are often dark and dismal affairs, so whether this feature was part of the church’s original plan, or was a reaction from a later generation to wintry gloom, I do not know.

Few Christians have a qualification in theology, feel competent to debate the scriptures or have sufficient knowledge to be deemed an expert. The little light we each have, however, ought still to be shared and magnified. You might know a few verses of the Bible, and recount the time when the Lord helped you and saved you. Little light indeed, but cut away the stonework, and let it be shared and reflected. God used a humble packed lunch to feed five thousand, and He will use your little window of light to shine into some very dark places.