St Mark's Church, Woodhouse, Leeds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gateway Church |
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| 53°48′42.9″N 1°33′11.9″W / 53.811917°N 1.553306°W | |
| Location | St Mark's Street, Woodhouse, Leeds |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Evangelical |
| History | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed building |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1823 |
| Completed | 1826 |
Gateway Church, located in Woodhouse, Leeds, England, is a lively Evangelical church. It used to be known as St Mark's Church and was an Anglican parish church until it closed in 2005. After some time, it reopened in 2014 as Gateway Church.
Contents
History of the Church Building
St Mark's Church was built a long time ago, between 1823 and 1825. It was designed by Peter Atkinson Junior and Richard Hey Sharp. The church officially opened in January 1826. In 1831, a special area called a parish was created for the church. This happened because the nearby St Peter parish had grown very large.
In 1832–1833, a west gallery was added inside the church. Another gallery on the south side was put in around 1837 but was later removed in the early 1900s. In 1873, local architects named Adams & Kelly updated the windows and replaced the old box pews with new ones. The church also has beautiful stained glass windows made by artists like Clayton and Bell.
St Mark's was one of three special churches built in Leeds during that time. It is the only one that is still standing today. The church was declared empty and no longer used in 2001. It started to fall apart and was even put on a list of 'Buildings at Risk' by Historic England.
Gateway Church Today
In 2008, a group called Gateway Buildings Trust bought the church building and its land. This trust is connected to Gateway Church, which is a local evangelical charity started in 2000. The trust worked hard to fix up and renovate the building. They also changed the inside to make it more modern. This project cost about £1.5 million, with a lot of help from Historic England.
Gateway Church started holding its meetings in the building in 2014. The church is also used for other things, like community gatherings and conferences.
Church Design and Style
Outside the Church
The church is built from strong, cut stone and has a slanted slate roof. It has a tall tower on the west side with three main parts. The church also has a long main area called a nave and a chancel. The tower has a door on the west side and special windows for bells. It is topped with eight-sided pointy decorations called pinnacles.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has one continuous space for the nave and chancel. There's a room for church staff called a vestry and a large organ at the east end. A small chapel is located at the east end of the south side. The church has a carved stone screen behind the altar called a reredos.
You can also see an eight-sided stone font, which is used for baptisms. There's also an eight-sided pulpit with carved designs. This pulpit was added in 1891 to remember Reverend J. S. Abbott. During the renovation in the 2000s, a new level was added inside. This created meeting rooms and a café below, dividing some of the tall windows.
Monuments and Special Memorials
The churchyard has a tall monument with two angels. This monument remembers a local sculptor named Robert Mawer (1807–1854). He created many artworks for churches in the area. His wife, Catherine Mawer (1803–1877), likely carved this monument. It was listed as a special building in 1997. However, since then, an urn and the heads of the angels have been removed.
On the north wall inside the church, there is a carved plaque with ivy leaves. It remembers William Schofield (who passed away in 1857), John Coultate (who passed away in 1864), and Hannah (who passed away in 1860) and Alice (who passed away in 1863) Craven. There is also a monument inside the vestry dedicated to Susannah Blesard (who passed away in 1856). This monument was carved by Catherine Mawer. After the renovation, most of it is hidden behind shelves and is quite worn.
Filming Location
The church building was used as a filming location in 2014. It appeared as the 'Parish Church of St Matthew' in the ITV series The Beiderbecke Affair. However, the scenes filmed inside the church, especially those in the crypt, were actually shot at St Peter's Church in Stanley. That church was later taken down in 2014.
See also
- List of places of worship in the City of Leeds
- Listed buildings in Leeds (Hyde Park and Woodhouse)
Images for kids
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Church interior between 1900 and 1914
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The chancel with three steps up
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Mezzanine level added during renovation
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Monument to Robert Mawer
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Schofield-Coultate memorial
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Susannah Blesard memorial
