Christ Church
Appleton le Moors, Yorkshire
Appleton le Moors is in the North York Moors National Park, and Christ Church certainly lives up to its description as 'the little gem of moorland churches'.
After centuries of disruption, St Stephen of Whitby and his Benedictine monks built the basis of the present structure around 1080, and in 1288 it was established as a parish church.
The double aisled Norman crypt is unique. It has massive, solid pillars, some quite richly carved, and parts of their stonework probably date from an earlier structure.
There is also a 12th century Norman font in the church. The basic outline you see today, with the fine rounded apse at the east end and the square west tower, was set out from the 11th to the 13th century, though the wonderful vaulted stone roof was created during an extensive restoration in 1879.
