The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Pickering: Accessibility Review.

Nothing prepared us for how impressive this church would be. Nestled behind a shopping street in Pickering lies the grade 1 listed St Peter and St Paul's church. Originally on the site of an Anglo-Saxon church, it was rebuilt in 1140 with additions continuing to be made until 1190 and structural alterations taking place up until the 15th century. Aside from it's history what stands out about this church is the fact that it houses some of the most complete and best preserved medieval wall paintings in the UK.

Panels including depictions of St George slaying the dragon, the Martyrdom of St Edmund and the Descent into Hades adorn both the North and South walls of the nave above the aisles. Commissioned in around 1450, the colour and detail of the images can still be clearly seen due to how well preserved they are and that's because they were covered over during the Edwardian reformation and completely forgotten about, only rediscovered by chance in 1852 after some plaster fell from the wall. Sadly, they still didn't come to light properly as the vicar at the time, Reverend John Ponsonby, disliked the paintings and ordered them to be whitewashed. It wasn't until a new vicar was appointed in 1876 that the whitewash was removed and the paintings were restored.

Aside from the paintings, other interesting things to see include the font from the original Anglo-Saxon church that stood on the site prior to 1140, intricately carved 12th century capitals and the incredibly peaceful graveyard. The church is open from 9-5 during the Summer, and 9-4 the rest of the year. If you have any questions about your accessibility needs I would suggest contacting the staff at the church using: info@pickeringchurch.com. We emailed to check the visiting times as we visited on a bank holiday and got a very quick reply.

🎟️ Booking.

There is no booking required.

ℹ️ Accessibility Information Availability.

There is some information on the website about accessible access to the church including a map of the step free route

🚗 Parking.

In the Eastgate carpark (0.2 miles away from the church) there are approximately 6 disabled parking places as well as EV chargers. In the Ropery car park (0.3 miles away from the church) there are 6 disabled parking spaces and 2 EV chargers. Charges apply in both of these car parks. We didn't park in either of these carparks as we found space available in the on street parking spaces (no designated disabled spaces) on Smiddy Hill approximately 150m away from the church following the accessible access route which was free for 1 hour.

🩼 Mobility.

The church has a step-free access route via Hallgarth. There is a ramp at this entrance and a door with a button to open it allowing wheelchair access to the church. Taking the route with steps, there are approximately 18 steps up from Birdgate to get into the church yard. From there, there is a slight incline up through the graveyard over large, flat, smooth slabs. To get into the church using the main entrance there are a further 10 steps to get into the church. Both sets of steps have handrails but are old and uneven though well maintained. Once inside, all areas of the church are accessible aside from the chancel which has 3 steps to get to with no handrails. The floor inside the church is predominantly smooth stone slabs with some wooden areas.

The path from Hallgarth along the step-free route looking towards the church.

A map showing both the stepped route and the step-free routes into the church.

The steps up from the street into the churchyard.

The steps into the church from the churchyard.

🎧 Sensory.

There are no sensory packs available, although there is a section of the church set out for children and there may be fidget toys there that can be used. There are soft toys in this area. There is a damp smell in the church consistent with older churches in need of some repair which our autistic daughter found difficult. The light in the church was consistent throughout, light and pleasant. It was nice and quiet inside the church. The graveyard outside was full of the sound of birds and the smell of wildflowers (we were there at the start of June for context).

🚽 Toilets.

The facilities available at the Changing Places toilet.

There are no accessible toilets or Changing Places toilets at the church. The nearest accessible toilets are in the town at the Eastgate car park (0.2 miles away). It is here that you can also find the nearest Changing Places toilet. There is another accessible toilet available in the Ropery Car Park (0.3 miles away from the church). RADAR keys are required to access both toilets.

☕️ Food and Drink.

There are no food and drink facilities in the church itself but there are plenty in Pickering. We visited Cafe Cocoa on Smiddy Hill and had some delicious cheese scones and some blueberry scones - we would definitely recommend them.

🪑 Rest Opportunities.

There are plenty of pews and chairs inside the church to rest on (a great opportunity to take a really good look at the paintings on the walls). There are also benches at the green on Smiddy Hill and at the corner of Burgate and Birdgate.

🦻 Hearing.

A google search suggests that there is an assistive hearing loop available for visitors, but we haven't been able to verify this.

📖 Visual Guides.

There were plenty of leaflets and information around the church, but we didn't see any large print or Braille guides available. We'd suggest emailing the church to confirm this information (using the address in the intro at the top of the page).

🐕‍🦺 Assistance Dogs.

Assistance dogs are welcome inside the church.

Our verdict.

Having researched the church extensively before visiting and having it on our list for some time, we were aware of the quality of the paintings, but we were still amazed at seeing them in real life. If you are ever in Yorkshire, or fancy a drive, or have an interest in medieval art work, we would definitely recommend a visit here, but make sure you leave enough time to sit and enjoy the paintings, church and the town.

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