St Cross Church, Middleton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Cross |
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| 53°44′37″N 1°32′49″W / 53.7435°N 1.5470°W | |
| Location | Middleton, Leeds |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Parish of Middleton |
| History | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | F.L.Charlton |
| Completed | 1933 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Concrete frame, Brick faced |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Middleton |
| Deanery | Armley |
| Archdeaconry | Leeds |
| Diocese | Leeds |
| Province | York |
The Church of St Cross is a special church located in Middleton, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It's an active Anglican church, which means it's part of the Church of England. It belongs to the Diocese of Leeds.
Contents
The Story of St Cross Church
The area around St Cross Church, called a parish, became very busy after many new homes were built in the 1920s. This was part of the Middleton council housing estate. Because more people moved into the area, the population grew a lot.
St Mary's Church helped find a place to build a new church. In 1925, a temporary wooden building was put up. Money for this came from the Leeds Church Extension Society. Later, in 1933, a permanent church was built with money from the diocese. St Cross became its own separate parish in July 1935.
When the church's foundation stone was laid, a full set of coins from 1933 was buried. This included a rare 1933 penny. Only seven of these pennies are known to exist. Sadly, in 1970, these coins were discovered to have been stolen.
How St Cross Church Was Built
The church was designed by an architect named F.L. Charlton. He designed it in a style called Early Christian. The church has a strong concrete frame and is covered with brick.
Outside the Church
The church has five sections, called bays. Each bay has narrow, rounded windows. Above these, there's a row of small, closely spaced rounded windows called a clerestory.
On the northeast side, there's a bell tower that looks like towers you might see in Italy. It's called a campanile-style tower. This tower is 60 feet (about 18 meters) tall and holds one bell.
Inside the Church
Inside, the main part of the church, called the nave, has wide, pointed arches. There are also five sections with rounded arches. The walls inside are smooth and plastered.
Many important items inside the church were designed by F.L. Charlton. These include the altar (where services are held), the credence table (a small table for sacred items), and the lectern (where readings are given). These pieces were made by Robert Thompson from Kilburn. He also made the screens that separate the aisles.
The pulpit (where sermons are given) came from St John's Church in Adel. A font (used for baptisms) from the 1800s came from Ainderby Steeple. A crucifix (a cross with an image of Jesus) was made in Oberammergau and came from Christ Church in Hunslet.
In 1982, some changes were made inside the church. The back two sections were separated to create a parish room and a kitchen.
