Minster Church of All Saints, Dewsbury, West Yorks

Dewsbury is one of many important churches founded by St Paulinus during his tireless missionary work in Yorkshire.

Highlights

• ‍‍Church founded by St Paulinus
• Saxon artefacts, including Christ in Majesty

Dewsbury is one of many important churches founded by St Paulinus during his tireless missionary work in Yorkshire. As so often, his original church was wooden and no longer survives. Dewsbury, however, has fragments of a huge cross that was erected here in about 850, perhaps in memory of its founder. There is a heritage centre inside the church which displays two fragments of this cross and many other artefacts from Dewsbury’s long Christian history.

Dewsbury also uses its heritage as a living aid to worship. A third cross fragment, showing Christ in Majesty, is kept in the Paulinus Chapel. Christ is portrayed with an outsized hand held up to the viewer, emphasising that he is giving a blessing.

By the late Saxon era, Dewsbury’s church was an important missionary centre. Traces of a tall building dating from 980 can be seen in the north-east corner of the main church. The building has been expanded repeatedly since, ending up as a huge structure by the late Victorian era.

This extra space has since been converted to house the heritage centre and refectory. It functions as both a busy community centre and a vibrant place of worship.

Directions

www.dewsburyminster.org.uk

W3W: goes.wishes.curve

GPS: 53.6896N, 1.6292W

The church is next to the swimming pool and leisure centre on Longcauseway, which has a convenient car park in front. The church is open to visitors Mon–Sat 9am–3pm.