St Aidan's Church, Leeds Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Aidan's Church
Church of St Aidan (Bishop Woodford Memorial)

53°48′45″N 1°31′15″W / 53.8126°N 1.5207°W / 53.8126; -1.5207
OS grid reference	SE 3166 3525
Location	Leeds
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Liberal Catholic
Website	www.staidan-leeds.org.uk
History
Founded	1894
Specifications
Capacity	800
Administration
Parish	Leeds Saint Aidan
Deanery	Allerton
Archdeaconry	Leeds
Episcopal area	Leeds
Diocese	Leeds
Province	York

St Aidan's Church is a beautiful old church located in Harehills, Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It belongs to the Church of England. This large church was built in 1894 and has a special design, like an ancient Roman building called a basilica. It's made of red bricks and is considered a very important historical building, known as a Grade II* listed building. Next to the church, there's a church hall. The church was designed by architects named Johnson and Crawford Hick from Newcastle.

History of St Aidan's Church
St Aidan's Church Today
Gallery
See also

History of St Aidan's Church

Building and Early Days

The church was officially opened and blessed on October 13, 1894. This special ceremony was led by John Pulleine, who was the Bishop of Richmond at the time. The very first vicar, or priest, of St Aidan's was Samuel Mumford Taylor. He later became a bishop himself, serving in Kingston-upon-Thames. When he passed away, he left his special church items, like his pastoral staff and mitres (a type of hat worn by bishops), to St Aidan's Church.

Amazing Mosaics

One of the most amazing parts of St Aidan's Church is its beautiful mosaics. These mosaics are found in the apse, which is the rounded part at the end of the church. They cover a huge area, about 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)! These artworks were created by an artist named Frank Brangwyn and were finished in 1916.

The mosaics tell stories from the life of St Aidan, an important saint. You can see scenes like him feeding people who were poor, traveling in Northumbria, giving speeches (preaching), and his death. People say the best time to see these mosaics is around noon on a sunny winter day. This is when the light from the nave windows shines on them, making them glow.

Frank Brangwyn first started decorating the church with paintings in 1910. However, he was worried that the smoky air in Harehills would ruin his paintings. So, he decided to start over using mosaics instead, which are much more durable. On the south wall, right behind the altar, there's a mosaic showing St Aidan preaching. If you look closely, you can even find the artist's initials, F. B., hidden in a pattern of stars!

The Church Organ

The church also has a special organ, which was built in 1896 by James Jepson Binns. What makes this organ unique is that it has not been changed or modified since it was first built. This means it sounds just like it did over a hundred years ago!

St Aidan's Church Today

St Aidan's Church is a bit special among Anglican churches because it holds a service called the Mass every day. This is not common for all Anglican churches.

The church used to be part of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds. However, in 2014, it became part of the new Diocese of Leeds. From January 2012 until 2017, St Aidan's parish was joined with another local church, Leeds All Souls.