York walks: 2004

Above: foundation stones from the Salvation Army Citadel on Gillygate.

The following is from the Salvation Army website, and explains the original inspiration for the Salvation Army:

"The Salvation Army began in 1865 when William Booth, a London minister, gave up the comfort of his pulpit and decided to take his message into the streets where it would reach the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. His original aim was to send converts to established churches of the day, but soon he realized that the poor did not feel comfortable or welcome in the pews of most of the churches and chapels of Victorian England."

Full text: Salvation Army – about us: history

Above: views of the Salvation Army Citadel on Gillygate.

Impossible to ignore this motto, boldly proclaimed above the doorway. The motto – the website tells me – refers to the blood of Jesus Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

For an explanation of the meaning of the Salvation Army's crest, pictured above left, see this page on the Salvation Army website. Above right: detail from entrance gates.

Related pages:
For views of the rest of this street, see Gillygate

Another interesting and impressive building constructed as a place of worship is featured in York Walks /3: York Central Mission Hall.