The Church of Christ the Consoler is a Victorian Gothic Revival church built in the Early English style by William Burges.[1] It is located in the grounds of Newby Hall at Skelton-on-Ure, in North Yorkshire, England. Burges was commissioned by George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, to build it as a tribute to the Marquess' brother-in-law, Frederick Vyner.[2]
Vyner was "taken prisoner by Greek brigands in the neighborhood of Athens April 11th 1870 and murdered by them April 21st."[3] A significant ransom had been demanded, and in part collected, before his murder. Vyner's mother determined that the unused funds would be used to construct a memorial church on her Yorkshire estate, his sister, Lady Ripon, embarking on an identical project, building St Mary's Church on her estate at Studley Royal. Burges obtained the commissions for both churches in 1870, perhaps because of the connection between his greatest patron, John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, and Vyner, who had been friends at Oxford.
The construction of the Church of Christ the Consoler began in 1871 and the church was complete by 1876.[4] The interior style is rich, with members of Burges' favourite team, e.g. Nicholls and Lonsdale, contributing. It is particularly interesting as representing an architectural move from Burges' favourite Early French style to an English inspiration. Pevsner describes it thus: "Of determined originality, the impression is one of great opulence, even if of a somewhat elephantine calibre"[5].
The church was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 14 December 1991.[6]