St John the Evangelist's Church, Leeds
Encyclopedia
St John the Evangelist's Church, Leeds, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the centre of the city of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
refers to it as "the only church at Leeds of more than local interest".
, who was a wealthy wool merchant and local benefactor. The church was altered between 1830 and 1838; this included remodelling of the tower by John Clark. In the middle of the 19th century the parish planned to demolish the church and build a more modern one. A campaign to rescue it was supported by Richard Norman Shaw
and Sir George Gilbert Scott
and was successful. In 1866–68 Shaw restored
the church, and added a south porch and a new vestry
. From 1890 Temple Moore
reinstated some of the 17th-century woodwork removed by Shaw, and carried out further restoration. St John's was declared redundant on 1 November 1975, and was vested
in the Trust on 17 January 1977.
stone, and has a grey slate
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
with a south aisle
and a south porch, a chancel
, and a west tower. The whole of the exterior of the church is embattled
with pinnacle
s at the corners. Its architectural style is Perpendicular. The tower is in three stages and has diagonal buttress
es. In the bottom stage is a two-light west window; the middle stage contains a clock face on the north, west and south sides; and in the top stage are three-light bell openings. The porch has angle buttresses, and an arched doorway with a sundial
above. On each side of the church are four-light Perpendicular windows, with five-light windows at the east ends of the nave and aisle, and at the west west end of the aisle. Internally the arcade
is carried on octagonal piers
, the capitals
of which are carved with acanthus
leaves and ball ornaments. The roof is highly decorated, containing tie
beams, corbel
s carved with angels and musicians, gilded
pendants, and panels
decorated with roses and other plants.
in style, and have been described as the "glory" of the church. This applies particularly to the elaborately carved screen across the nave and the aisle. There is similarly detailed carving on the wall panels, the pews and the pulpit
. Also in the church is a royal coat of arms
and three brass chandelier
s. The stained glass dates from the 19th century, and includes a memorial window to John Harrison, depicting him performing good deeds, and directing the building of the church. Around the church are memorials to other citizens of the city.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the centre of the city of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
refers to it as "the only church at Leeds of more than local interest".
History
St John's is the oldest church in the city centre of Leeds, being built between 1632 and 1634, at a time when few churches were being built. It was paid for by John HarrisonJohn Harrison (Leeds)
John Harrison was a prominent inhabitant of Leeds, in Yorkshire, England, in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, variously as one of the early woollen cloth merchants, and as a benefactor of the town.-Commercial and municipal life:...
, who was a wealthy wool merchant and local benefactor. The church was altered between 1830 and 1838; this included remodelling of the tower by John Clark. In the middle of the 19th century the parish planned to demolish the church and build a more modern one. A campaign to rescue it was supported by Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw RA , was an influential Scottish architect from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings.-Life:...
and Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
and was successful. In 1866–68 Shaw restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
the church, and added a south porch and a new vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. From 1890 Temple Moore
Temple Lushington Moore
Temple Lushington Moore was an architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:He was the son of Captain George Frederick Moore and Charlotte Reilly ....
reinstated some of the 17th-century woodwork removed by Shaw, and carried out further restoration. St John's was declared redundant on 1 November 1975, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Trust on 17 January 1977.
Exterior
The church is built in ashlarAshlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
stone, and has a grey slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
and a south porch, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, and a west tower. The whole of the exterior of the church is embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
with pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s at the corners. Its architectural style is Perpendicular. The tower is in three stages and has diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. In the bottom stage is a two-light west window; the middle stage contains a clock face on the north, west and south sides; and in the top stage are three-light bell openings. The porch has angle buttresses, and an arched doorway with a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
above. On each side of the church are four-light Perpendicular windows, with five-light windows at the east ends of the nave and aisle, and at the west west end of the aisle. Internally the arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
is carried on octagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
, the capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
of which are carved with acanthus
Acanthus (ornament)
The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.-Architecture:In architecture, an ornament is carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to...
leaves and ball ornaments. The roof is highly decorated, containing tie
Tie (engineering)
A tie, structural tie, connector, or structural connector is a structural component designed to resist tension. It is the opposite of a strut, which is designed to resist compression. Ties are generally made of galvanized steel...
beams, corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s carved with angels and musicians, gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
pendants, and panels
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
decorated with roses and other plants.
Interior
Most of the fittings are JacobeanJacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
in style, and have been described as the "glory" of the church. This applies particularly to the elaborately carved screen across the nave and the aisle. There is similarly detailed carving on the wall panels, the pews and the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
. Also in the church is a royal coat of arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
and three brass chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s. The stained glass dates from the 19th century, and includes a memorial window to John Harrison, depicting him performing good deeds, and directing the building of the church. Around the church are memorials to other citizens of the city.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Yorkshire
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England