Upleatham’s Old Church

This tiny church at Upleatham is believed to be the second on this site and is often claimed to be the smallest in England—just 18 feet long and 15 feet wide. Though “smallest” is a loose term, depending on what one measures—floor space, pews, or whether it still hosts services—this particular church no longer does.

Once a fine structure, its foundations can still be discerned beneath the grass. Most of it was torn down in 1822 when a new church was built on higher ground, but the 1684 tower and a fragment of the building were kept and repurposed as a mortuary chapel.

In the early 1800s, the Reverend John Graves described what remained: a time-worn effigy, coats of arms on the walls, and stone coffins marking the graves of once-important locals. Services were accompanied not by an organ, but by violins, a clarinet, a bassoon and a cello—an odd little orchestra for an odd little place.

Today, the church offers views over to Skelton and still — although I haven’t seen them — houses a few relics: hatchments of the Dundas family and a detailed grave cover that the Reverend J. C. Atkinson called the finest in Cleveland. Another of the clergy, the Reverend Thomas Walters later identified this as the grave of a medieval knight, once placed with honour in the chancel of the Norman church.

By 1966 the church had fallen into neglect again. An article by local historian Alex Wright caught the eye of soldiers from the Green Howards’ 4/5 Battalion, who took matters into their own hands. Trading rifles for paintbrushes and shovels, they cleared decades of dirt and rubbish, fixed the roof, whitewashed the walls, and gave the building back its dignity.

Their work was marked with a plaque, a gift of candlesticks from the Guisborough Catholic Church, and even a commemorative envelope issued by the Post Office. Thanks to these soldiers, what was nearly lost has been saved. We owe them for restoring a fragment of its past that might otherwise have decayed beyond repair.

Source

Horton, Minnie C. “The Story of Cleveland”. Page 339. Cleveland County Libraries. 1979.