Upleatham Church

I have happy childhood memories of walks to Upleatham's tiny church with my dad when I spent 15 years of my childhood living at Skelton. We would walk to the church through the fields from Barns Farm.
Even though I was so young I rember my mum saying that the little church had work done on it and so Dad took me along to visit the church not long after its renovaton by the Green Howards in the year 1966. At the time it came under the parish of Skelton, and Micheal Stark was rector and vicar of Upleatham. I remember the door always being open for private prayer and to be able to see the things of interest and read up on some of the local history. The church was always nicely kept with flowers along with a little book stall and you put the money in a box in the wall near the door. I rember my dad buying me two Bible story Ladybird books which I still have to this day.
There was installed inside the church a small staind glass window in the right hand corner facing west. I have a small photo of the window which depicted our Saviour Jesus Christ and it commemorated the 1966 renovation work. Very sadly the window was mindlessly vandalised in the 1980s, so it wasn't such a happy visit to the church for me and my wife not long after our wedding at All Saints', Skelton, to see the church in such a sad old state and the little staind glass window destroyed. I am pleased at least today it's in the hands of the local council, but it longs for some T.L.C like it did in my happy childhood memories.
I also remember walking up to the village with Dad and going into the little post office which was also a shop to buy sweets, we would go into the new St Andrew's Church where I remember a window depicting the parable of the Good Samaritan. Sometimes if it was open we would also go into the little old Wesleyn Methodist Chapel built in 1862.
My happy memories of sweet Upleatham live on in my heart and I always enjoy visits when I am in the North from London where I live at present with my good wife.  
Paul Watson