St John the Evangelist's Church, Leeds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Evangelist's Church, Leeds |
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St John the Evangelist's Church, Leeds, from the north-west
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| OS grid reference | SE 302 338 |
| Location | New Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | John Harrison |
| Dedication | Saint John the Evangelist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 26 September 1963 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1632 |
| Completed | 1838 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
St John the Evangelist's Church is a very old and special Anglican church right in the middle of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It's not used for regular church services anymore, which is why it's called a "redundant" church. This amazing building is protected as a Grade I listed building, meaning it's super important! The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it now. One famous expert on buildings, Nikolaus Pevsner, even said it's the most interesting church in Leeds.
Contents
History of St John's Church
St John's is the oldest church in the city centre of Leeds. It was started in 1631 and finished in 1634. This was a time when not many new churches were being built, making it even more special!
Who Built St John's?
The church was paid for by a rich wool merchant named John Harrison. He was a very kind person who gave a lot of money to help his local community in Leeds.
Saving the Church
Between 1830 and 1838, the church was changed a bit, including its tower. In the mid-1800s, there was a plan to knock down St John's and build a new, more modern church. But many people loved the old church and fought to save it!
Famous architects like Richard Norman Shaw and Sir George Gilbert Scott helped in the campaign. Gilbert Scott said that "no other town in England can produce a parallel" to St John's. He convinced the Bishop to let the church be fixed up instead of destroyed.
Restoration Work
From 1866 to 1868, Richard Norman Shaw worked to restore the church. He added a new entrance porch on the south side and a room for the clergy called a vestry. Later, from 1890, another architect named Temple Moore put back some of the old wooden carvings from the 1600s that Shaw had removed. He also did more restoration work.
St John's Church stopped being used for regular services on 1 November 1975. It was then officially given to the Churches Conservation Trust on 17 January 1977, so they could protect it for the future.
Architecture of St John's
The outside of St John's Church looks a lot like buildings from the late 1400s. It's made from carefully cut stone blocks called ashlar and has a grey slate roof.
Outside the Church
The church has a main part called a nave, with an extra section on the south side called an aisle and a south porch. It also has a chancel (the area around the altar) and a tall tower at the west end. The entire outside of the church has a decorative top edge called an embattled parapet, with pointy decorations called pinnacles at the corners. The style is known as Perpendicular Gothic.
The tower has three main levels and strong angled supports called buttresses. On the bottom level, there's a window with two sections. The middle level has a clock face on three sides. The top level has large openings with three sections for the bells. The porch has its own angled buttresses and a curved doorway with a sundial above it. All around the church, you'll see windows with four sections, and even bigger windows with five sections at the east ends of the nave and aisle, and at the west end of the aisle.
Inside the Church
The inside of St John's is truly amazing! It has lots of detailed carvings and plasterwork that look like styles from the late 1500s, especially from countries like the Netherlands. Most of the church's furniture and decorations are in a style called Jacobean, which was popular in the early 1600s. These carvings are often called the "glory" of the church.
The most impressive part is the incredibly detailed carved screen that goes across the nave and aisle. You'll also see similar beautiful carvings on the wall panels, the church benches (pews), and the pulpit (where the preacher stands). Inside, there's also a royal coat of arms and three shiny brass chandeliers.
The colourful stained glass windows were added in the 1800s. One special window remembers John Harrison, showing him doing good deeds and overseeing the building of the church. All around the church, you can also find memorials that honour other important people from Leeds.
