I don’t have a photo of St. George’s church, Doncaster but do have of Rotherham church – significance to follow. Rotherham Minster is a squat building with almost exaggerated verticality. The church square area has been well designed and affords a pedestrianised area for socialising, the church seems rather brooding, mainly because it needs a good clean. Doncaster church and Rotherham church are the only minster churches in South Yorkshire, the nearest cathedral being in the centre of Sheffield (as to how and when a parish church, such as the one in Sheffield, were given cathedral status see next blog/post).
St. George’s Doncaster is a complete rebuild of the mid 19th century following a fire which almost completely destroyed its predecessor, this a church which apparently had fine surviving evidence of its Norman original build. Thus the church as seen today is a classic design of the mock Gothic style, the copying of features typical of the 11th to the 16th centuries. As such, St. George’s has been acclaimed by noted ecclesiologists as a fine example of its style. I have never been in St. George’s, indeed only once up to it as it is one of the most unfortunate Grade 1 listed structures in the country being all but surrounded by fast busy roads. Although near the station, the town centre and the indoor market, it stands isolated and alone. I wonder how the town council justify that. Nevertheless there are a number of good viewing points of the church, probably the best from the carriages of the train from Scunthorpe (Trans Pennine from Cleethorpes) as it slowly approaches the busy station.
St. George’s was designed by, and the rebuild overseen by, the most esteemed of Gothic Revival architects George Gilbert-Scott. One notable feature of the church is the very complex pipe organ produced by the Schultz company in Germany. One of the tragedies of the fire that reduced to ashes the previous church was that it destroyed a fine late 18th century organ, an instrument much admired in its day. I have not come across any lithograph or drawing of the old church which would be interesting to see. Maybe there is one in the church.