St James' Parish Church, Wetherby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St James' Parish Church
Parish Church of St James
53°55′47″N 1°23′11″W / 53.9298°N 1.3864°W / 53.9298; -1.3864
Location	Wetherby, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	St James Wetherby
History
Dedication	St James
Administration
Parish	Wetherby
Deanery	Wetherby
Archdeaconry	Leeds
Diocese	Leeds
Province	York

St James' Parish Church is a church in Wetherby, England. It is part of the Church of England, which is a Christian church. This church serves the people living in Wetherby and Linton, a nearby area in West Yorkshire.

Building the Church: A Look Back

An aerial view of the church

For a long time, Wetherby didn't have its own main church. It was like a small branch of a bigger church in a place called Spofforth. People in Wetherby used a smaller building called a "chapel of ease" for their services.

Records show there was a chapel in Wetherby as early as 1301. An old, worn-out chapel in the Market Square was taken down in 1760. A new one was built in 1763, but it was also removed in 1845.

In 1833, a church leader named William Raby came to Wetherby. He had big plans to build both St James' Church and the Wetherby Town Hall. On April 3, 1838, important people from the town and church met. They decided to build a proper church with a graveyard. Many local people helped by giving money.

The land for the church was a barley field given by Edwin Greenwood. An access road was also made from the market place.

The first stones for the church were laid on April 1, 1839. A person named Quentin Rhodes gave a lot of money to help start the building. The church was built using stone from Collingham. It cost about £4,300 to build. The church was officially opened on February 1, 1842. Later, in 1877, the church was updated and improved, costing another £1,000, which was also raised by local people.

The Church on the Corner: Cemetery Chapel

Church on the Corner

The churchyard at St James' didn't have much space for burials. So, a large cemetery was created on Hallfield Lane. This cemetery has two similar chapels. One is used by St James' Church for services, and the other is the main cemetery chapel. The local town council manages this cemetery.

Church Design: What It Looks Like

Royal Coat of Arms

St James' Church faces east to west. It has a tall tower at the west end with clocks on three sides. The church was built in 1842 in a style called Gothic revival style, which looks like old medieval churches. The back part of the church, called the chancel, was added in 1877. A porch was built in the 1990s.

On the north side, there's an entrance to the crypt, which is an underground room. The south side has the old and new entrances, and a round window called a rose window. The east window is very beautiful, with five sections of colorful stained glass.

In 1939, the pointed decorations on top of the tower, called pinnacles, had to be removed because they were unsafe. They were replaced with flat cap-stones. The porch added in the 1990s also included a ramp, making it easier for people using wheelchairs to enter.

There used to be a Sunday School building on Church Street, opened in 1895. This building is now rented out to different local groups.

Inside the Church: Details and Furniture

Interior

Inside, the church has a tall arch leading to the tower and another arch leading to the chancel. The ceiling in the chancel is painted and has wooden beams. The main part of the church, called the nave, has hanging lamps. You can also see furniture inside the church made by a famous designer named Robert Thompson.

See also

In Spanish: Iglesia de Santiago (Wetherby) para niños

• Listed buildings in Wetherby