St Columba's United Reformed Church

About

St Columba's United Reformed Church is a historic chapel on Priory Street, in the city centre of York, in England. In 1873, the minister of the Prospect Street Presbyterian Church in Hull began preaching at the Lecture Hall on Goodramgate in York. In September, 54 local residents signed a petition for the Presbyterian Church of England to recognise the preaching station, which was granted. The congregation grew, in part due to Scottish railway workers and Scottish regiments stationed at the Imphal Barracks. They purchased a site on Priory Street, and Thomas Brownlow Thompson designed a church, which was opened on 6 November 1879. Its construction cost £5,000, and in addition to the main hall, it included a classroom and vestry. An organ was installed in 1907, while in 1949 the pediment on the main front and the corner tower were taken down. Nikolaus Pevsner describes the resulting facade as "a weak composition".

In 1972, the Presbyterian Church of England merged with the Congregational Church in England and Wales to become the United Reformed Church. York's Congregational Church, on Lendal, closed in 1995, with the congregation joining that of St Columba. The church established...