Further Afield

 Finningley Church

There has been a church on this site since Saxon times.  It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  It is also dedicated to St Oswald, the King of Northumbria from 633 to 641.  He was responsible for the spread of Christianity from the Firth of Forth to the Humber estuary.  He was canonised by the church as a Saint and a Martyr.

The most striking aspect of this church is the roof, which was not made for this building, but was possibly brought from a nearby large hall or mansion.  It is certainly known that the original thatched roof of the church was destroyed in a fire.

The wooden roof is covered with painted medallions.

However the pillars of the church walls do not match the downward arches of the roof.

RAF Finningley was officially opened in 1936 and all RAF navigators were trained there.  By 1987 over 2000 men and women worked at Finningley, with substantial housing development to accommodate the families.

The station was closed in 1996 but is now the Robin Hood Airport.

Above the altar, and in the most striking position, is the East window.  The scene depicts the battlefield and angels with trumpets above a figure of Christ, whose hand is resting on the shoulder of a soldier.  It is a tribute to those who served in the World Wars and to the 22 local men who did not return.

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