The original church of St Hedda was erected in Egton Bridge in 1790 but was converted into a school in 1866 and at the same time the church was replaced with the current church, adjoining the old church (the school).

The large circular apse is located to the rear of the church's entrance on the main road. It is a huge semi-circular structure with stained glass windows at the top. Inside, the walls of the apse are ornately decorated with painted murals below which is wooden dado panelling. The ceiling of the chancel apse is domed and the roof is a wooden barrel vaulted roof with stencilled decorations.

Above the north facing entrance door there is a large typanum. This is positioned inside of a pomted arch and contains a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. The statue is set within a mandoria (an almond shaped aureole of light).

One of the stained glass windows in St Hedda church is of Father Nicholas Postgate. He lived nearby, after returning to England from France, and knew that he might be executed in continuing to practice as a Catholic priest in this country. He became the victim of the Titus Oates Plot (fabricated allegations that Catholics were plotting to sieze power in London) which led to his arrest in nearby Ugglebarnby. He was tried for treason and executed in York on 7 August 1679, aged 82. He was sentenced to be executed, which took the form of being dragged on a wooden frame through the streets of york, and then taken to the gallows on the Knavesmire, where he was hung, drawn and quartered. Knavesmire was a swampy area, now occupied by York Racecourse.

The south face of St Hedda Church, at ground floor level, has all of the Stations of the Cross carved into the wall and painted.

Close up of the Coronation station. The coloured reliefs of each of the painted Stations of the Cross are attractive, but the Stations are only one of many of the illustrious attractions of St Hedda Church, but inside the Church and to its exterior.

The La Pieta sculpture is located at the external south west corner of the church. It is based on Michelangelo's original sculpture, carved in marble and representing the "sixth sorrow" of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The original is to be found at Saint Peter's Basillica in the Vatican City, and is a key work of the Italian Renaissance. It depicts the time when Jesus was taken down from the cross on Mount Golgotha, and given to His mother.

Coast to Coast Trail Guide

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