St George's Church, Leeds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St George's Church |
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| 53°48′05″N 1°33′12″W / 53.8015°N 1.5532°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE 29517 34008 |
| Location | Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Charismatic Evangelical |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Leeds St George Team Ministry |
| Deanery | Benefice of Headingley |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leeds |
| Province | Province of York |
St George's Church, Leeds is a special Church of England church right in the middle of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It's close to the Leeds General Infirmary hospital. Even though it's in the city centre, people come to St George's from all over Leeds. Many students also attend the church.
The church has a team of leaders. Lizzy Woolf is the main rector. Eve Ridgeway and Adrian Smith are also associate rectors, helping to lead the church.
Contents
What Happens at St George's?
Sunday Services
St George's Church has regular services every Sunday. There's a morning service at 10:30 AM. This service is great for families and has special activities for children. In the evening, there's another service at 6:30 PM. This one is popular with students and young adults. It focuses on learning from the Bible and enjoying music.
St George's is part of the Charismatic Evangelical group within the Church of England. This means they believe in the Holy Spirit's power and focus on sharing their faith.
Helping Other Churches
St George's is a "resource church." This means it helps other churches grow. It does this by sending teams of people to start new church groups. For example, a team of 48 people from St George's helped start St Paul’s Ireland Wood in January 2018. Smaller teams also went to St Paul’s Shadwell and St Peter’s Morley. Another new church group started at Bramhope St Giles in 2022.
St George's also works with two other churches in a team. These are Holy Trinity Boar Lane and St Augustine's Church, Wrangthorn. Holy Trinity Boar Lane reopened in 2021 with a new focus on people who work in the city centre during the week. St George's leaders also help lead St Augustine's Church. This church tries to reach the many students living in the Woodhouse and Wrangthorn area.
St George's Crypt: Helping People in Need
St George's Church is famous for starting a charity called St George's Crypt. This charity helps people who are homeless or seeking asylum. The Crypt offers places for people to stay overnight. It also runs two hostels. They have charity shops and special programs to help people with difficulties.
Today, St George's Crypt is its own separate charity. However, it still works very closely with St George's Church.
The Church Building
The church building is very old and important. It was built between 1836 and 1838. It is a Grade II listed building, which means it's protected because of its historical value.
A big storm in 1962 blew down the church's tall spire. A new spire was put back in January 2006.
Important Moments in History
Early Years and Building
- 1836: People decided to build a new church in Leeds. They raised money, and an architect named John Clark designed it. He wanted a "plain, bold style" church without too many decorations. The church was named St George's when its foundation stone was laid.
- 1836: Work began on the building. There was a small delay because they decided to build burial vaults underneath the church. This was because there wasn't enough burial space in the city.
- 1837: The first leader, Revd William Sinclair, was appointed. St George's became a leading evangelical church in Leeds.
- 1838: The church building was finished in April and officially opened on November 7. It cost £11,000 to build.
- 1839: A hurricane damaged St George's, and money was raised to fix it. William Sinclair also started St George's Day School.
- 1841: A painter named Charles West Cope gave the church a special painting for the altar. It's still there today.
- 1842: William Sinclair built another chapel, St Andrew's, as a memorial to his wife. It closed in 1958.
- 1847: He then built St Philip's. This church closed in 1931 and was later moved stone by stone to Middleton.
- 1855: The burial vaults and ground at St George's were closed.
- 1868: St George's officially became its own parish.
Growth and Changes
- 1881: A chapel called Emmanuel was built to serve the northern part of the parish. It later became the Anglican chaplaincy for the University of Leeds.
- 1882: By this time, St George's had three "Day" schools and Sunday Schools in the area.
- 1886: The church building was updated. The organ was moved, and a new chancel area was created.
- 1895: John Wright (who later became Archbishop of Sydney) helped raise money for more improvements to the church.
- 1900: More parts were added to the church, including the apse, chancel arch, and vestry. A pulpit and choir stalls were also put in. This cost £9,000.
- 1930: Don Robins became the new vicar. He was a very inspiring leader. He opened the crypt (a space beneath the church) to help men who had returned from war and were struggling. This was the beginning of the famous St George's Crypt charity.
- 1931: Don Robins also started a women's centre. It provided food, clothing, and trips for poor people. He helped set up Fellowship House for servicemen in Leeds. He also helped Estonians, Lithuanians, and Latvians who came to work in mills.
- 1938: The Church School was doing very well, and an extension was built. This also served as a church hall. St George's had many groups for Scouts, Guides, women, men, and young people.
- 1948: Tony Waite became vicar and continued to develop the work of the crypt.
- 1954: Faith Lodge, an annex of St George's Crypt, opened to provide long-term care.
- 1958: Raymond Turvey became vicar. St George's took over St Andrew's school after parish boundaries changed.
The Spire and Modern Times
- 1962: On February 11, strong winds blew down parts of the church tower. These crashed through the roof, causing a lot of damage. It cost £20,000 to fix, and the church's insurance didn't cover storm damage. People from all over the country and the world donated money to help rebuild. The church was repaired, and new rooms were added.
- 1972: Michael Botting became vicar. He worked to bring more families to St George's. When he left in 1984, there were many babies in the crèche and over 100 young people in Sunday school each week. St George's became known as a family-friendly church.
- 1976: Regent Terrace, another hostel for St George's Crypt, opened.
- 1986: David Hawkins became vicar. He was very creative and helped make the church building more flexible for different events like concerts and theatre.
- 1989: The church building needed major repairs. The congregation worshipped in other places for two years while the church was updated.
- 1990: A new church group, St George's Community Church, was started in the parish.
- 1999: St George's Crypt was fully refurbished to meet new safety rules and update its facilities.
- 1999: St George's became a "team ministry." David Hawkins became the rector, and the community church got its own leader.
- 2003: Jonathan Clark was appointed as rector.
- 2006: The steeple, which had been gone since 1962, was finally replaced!
- 2010: St George's Crypt reopened after a huge £15 million refurbishment.
- 2021: St George's took on responsibility for the City Centre Mission at Holy Trinity Church, Leeds. St George's now works as a team with Holy Trinity and St Augustine's Church, Wrangthorn.
See also
- Listed buildings in Leeds (City and Hunslet Ward - northern area)
