IT HAS stood the test of time for 900 years, watching over Beverley through times of plague, persecution and bombardment.
St Mary's Church, the town's oldest building, has been hailed as the finest parish church in England.
Predating Beverley Minster, St Mary's is famous for a rabbit carving, said to have inspired Lewis Carroll's March Hare in Alice In Wonderland.
Many visitors are drawn to gaze in wonder at the church's ornate beauty.
To the expert eye however, the building is riven by extensive and widespread decay.
Without £5m repairs, St Mary's could be at risk of eventual collapse and closure.
Architect David Sheriff, says: "If nothing is done now to begin to repair this wonderful building, the stone will continue to decay and some of the original masonry, where it is now weak and eroded, will fail.
"Without the important restoration, eventually roofs and gutters will leak, windows will blow out and masonry will fall – a parapet, a pinnacle or perhaps a whole section of wall.
"Eventually, the risk of injury would be such that the building, or certainly part of it, would have to close.
"We are not there yet and by trying to do work now we hope not get to that stage."
Mr Sherriff, who recently carried out the church's five-year inspection, is warning work must start soon as restoration to tackle the decay will be a lengthy process.
He says: "While we are not at the point quite yet where it is the worst I have seen, it is extensive and widespread across the whole of the building.
"Much of the decay is at the higher levels, which is less noticeable to passers by.
"The disadvantage is that as it is such a large and complicated building, carrying out the work to repair it is going to take a number of years, over a number of phases and, therefore, we really do need to be getting on with work as soon as possible.
"One of the principal problems is that numerous important original design details have eroded away, such as the intricate and beautiful carved details on the pinnacles and the rainwater spouts, or gargoyles.
"These are the smaller less obvious parts of the stonework that go to make St Mary's such a wonderful building and show how much importance was given to it by its builders all those centuries ago."
The day-to-day ravages of the weather have taken their toll on the building.
WEATHERED: Rev Lumley points out some of the damaged stonework at St Mary's.Mr Sherriff, based in Leeds, says: "Unfortunately, natural limestone starts to decay as soon as it is out of the ground.
"Used in the building the day-to-day, year-to-year exposure to the weather – rain, frost, wind, and sun – provides the conditions in which the surface is gradually worn away.
"Much of the masonry that is presently the greatest concern to me has been in position within the church walls for almost 500 years.
"Repairs have been done many times before and it is now time to do further repairs.
"While pollution may previously have been an issue, it is not the main one, it is really down to the natural process over time."
St Mary's has been hailed as "the finest parish church in England" by famous church architect Sir Ninian Comper and said to be "almost without rival" in Europe by Sir Tatton Sykes, who was responsible for building and repairing many of East Yorkshire's churches.
Mr Sheriff says: "St Mary's has significance architecturally, culturally and historically that is nationally recognised.
"Looking at it just as an architect and for a moment setting aside that it is place of worship, this is a building that speaks very loudly about the generations that have gone before us and how they viewed life and even beyond.
"It is a building the many generations that have gone before us of strived to improve and upkeep.
"It is open to all, whether you wish to be a tourist, scholar, or to pray. It is a building that celebrates what skilled craftspeople can achieve.
"Those in the parish who are responsible for it now do so more for generations to come than for themselves."
You cannot help but be overwhelmed by St Mary'sVicar the Reverend Becky Lumley on the campaign to save St Mary's."That St Mary at Beverley is one of the most beautiful parish churches in England is universal knowledge", said the great architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner.
But I do wonder if we who live in Beverley sometimes forget how extraordinary this building is.
Architects and historians rave about St Mary's. It is hard to describe, to someone who has never stepped inside, just how beautiful this medieval church is.
For those of you who have visited, I urge you to take some time and wander around and then you will understand why we need to raise funds to restore this extraordinary building.
The church stands for the town of Beverley and its artistic and creative past and as a testament to the future.
Step inside and you cannot help but be overwhelmed by the changes of light as it reflects and dances off the painted ceilings and through the spectacular stained glass windows.
St Mary's was considered the "town's church" or "the people's church", harking back to a time when the Minster served the Friary while St Mary's served the people of Beverley and especially the trade guilds who helped pay for the rebuilding of the tower after it collapsed in 1520 – let's hope we don't get to that point again.
Now we are hoping the townsfolk can join together with us to help St Mary's continue to be one of the great masterpieces, a focal point for the town, a centre for community and a place for worship for future generations to enjoy.
We do not get help from the Government or some central fund, instead we rely on donations and volunteers.
We are planning all sorts of interesting and fun fundraising events. Please look out for them.
• To donate or to help in any way, call St Mary's Parish Office on 01482 869137 or visit the St Mary's Beverley website. The parish office is open Monday to Wednesday, 9am to noon, and Friday, 9am to noon.
