St Oswald's Church is only 100 metres away from the coast and is adjacent to a steep hill on the A174 road called Lythe Bank, four miles from Whitby. Its prominent position overlooking the road and the sea is often described as being in a commanding position for its views to the east.
A church has been located on this site since the 13th century, but stones found in the early 20th century mark Lythe as being an important Viking burial ground. The tower of the old church was renovated in 1769, with the whole church being renovated in 1819. When Sir Walter Tapper rebuilt the church in 1910, only the north wall and the east end of the chancel walls were left untouched. During the rebuilding in the early 20th century, stones found in the tower were dated to pre-Conquest times. Tapper also adapted the Norman tower to fit a spire, which acts as a way marker and a coast marker for sailors travelling alongside the dangerous part of the coast near here.
Despite being described as having no antiquarian value by some writers, on account of its rebuilding in 1910, it was given a Grade 1 listing in 1969.
The church had been heated with a low-pressure hot water heating system dating back to an age when fuel was cheap and efficiency hadn't been invented!
Our solution was to fit a ChurchEcoMiser Classic radiator system. The system blends seamlessly with the church's aesthetics. It is silent in operation and virtually maintenance-free, and the heaters carry a 25-year manufacturer's guarantee.
This type of system is ideal for medieval and Victorian churches, as the system warms the fabric as well as the congregation, and where churches of this type tend to have a muscular construction, then the heat is retained well, often resulting in lower running costs than its infrared counterpart.
For further information, contact ChurchEcoMiser via sales@churchecomiser.co.uk or call Chris on 07770 621158