I like how the majority of the Gothic buildings in Leeds sit on this diagonal line, I might focus on these in particular as it may make for an interesting design. Also, if I was to go for my map idea, I need to be conscious of the space and how large the map would need to be to accommodate the designs.
Buildings on the line:
St Chad's Church Far Headingley
St Micheal and All Angels' Church
Gateway Church
Great Hall of the University of Leeds
Leeds Cathedral
Leeds Minster
Mount St Mary's Church
St Saviour Church
What information I want to know for each fact file:
- Date constructed and if it has been rebuilt, refurbished or remodelled.
- What style it has been labelled and refer to research to verify that.
- Whether it has all the key features of a Gothic building.
- Purpose of the building
- General history
Realistically, I want enough concise information to write up a paragraph about each building. I do not want too much information and history because this is aimed at people walking through Leeds or living in Leeds that want to learn more about each building. If there is too much to read it will make it boring and plus, if this was to be made into my map idea, they may not have time to stop and read it whilst walking. In addition, a lot of these buildings have websites so, I could have links to these sites for further information.
Church Of St Chad, Otley Road, Far Headingly (c. 1860)
https://stchads.co.uk/about-us/st-chads-church-history-and-architecture/
Also known as St Chads, the Grade II listed building began construction in 1868 using an eclectic mix of Classic and Norman Gothic Revival design. The building was later altered in 1910 to incorporate new areas using a Gothic Revival plan.
The Gothic revival plan included the alignment of the North and South nave with clerestory and low aisles. During the construction, they added the Lady Chapel and Organ Chamber.
The main roof is a combination of barrel vault ceiling with pointed and Gothic arches with decorative tracery windows whereas, the ceiling within the Lady Chapel demonstrates a sexpartite rib vault ceiling with elaborate décor and more intricate tracery designs to the windows.
St Micheal and All Angels' Church
https://www.st-michaels-headingley.org.uk/about-us81128/church-history/
Date constructed: Grade II listed building, construction began in 1884 and lasted until 1886. The north porch and spire were added in 1890 - the speed at which this building was constructed is impeccable and shows the advancement in materials and tools. Not only that, this is another example of Gothic Revival which means it only has some elements of the original gothic style such as its pointed arches and ornate decoration. It is also a well-known tourist attraction due to its ties to the famous Bronte family. The sisters Emily and Charlotte Bronte are buried at the church where their father Patrick had been a vicar from 1820 until his death in 1861.
Gateway Church (formerly St Mark’s Church), Woodhouse, Leeds
https://gatewayleeds.net/
St Mark’s is the remaining 1 of 3 Commissioners Churches built using grants issued by parliament following the victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The purpose of building the churches was to avoid civil unrest as citizens left their rural homes for the prosperity of the larger towns and cities. The churches were built to serve the expanding parishes and sub parishes of the cities offering direction for the residents.
The Gateway Church as St Mark’s is now known was built between 1823-1826. It had alteration work in 1873 to the window tracery and the tower. The building is built in the Gothic revival style but using a more simplistic form. This may explain why the church was built over such a short amount of time. The roof has the standard gothic vault ceiling with a quadripartite rib effect and simple but tracery windows.
The church was declared redundant by the Church of England in 2005 and fell into disrepair. The building was acquired by Gateway Church in 2014 and fully renovated to become a place of worship, community hub and is used for functions including exams for the University of Leeds.
Great Hall of the University of Leeds
https://estates.leeds.ac.uk/
The construction of this building began in 1884 and was completed in 1894 to which it was opened by the Duke and Duchess of York. Designed by the famous Alfred Waterhouse, known for his work on the Natural History Museum in London. The red pressed brick and dressings of Bolton Wood is an exemplary example of the Gothic Collegiate style. The style used to design this building coined the term the red brick university. It maintains the original romanesque buttress whilst also adopting the pointed arches and pinnacles from the Perpendicular style. Its original purpose was for the University Library until both the Brotherton and Parkinson buildings opened in the mid-1930s. Today it is used for meetings, exams and public lectures.
Leeds Cathedral, Cathedral Chambers, Great George Street, Leeds
The building you will now recognise as Leeds Cathedral is not the original building or on the original site. The original building, St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church, built in 1838 on the junction of Headrow and Cookridge Street, was granted Cathedral status in 1878 but was demolished soon after in 1899 after the issuing of a compulsory purchase order by Leeds Corporation to make way for city rejuvenation. The church, after unsuccessfully trying to find a new location, accepted an offer of the current site from Leeds Corporation.
The new building was built in a Neo-Gothic design between 1901-1904. It is easy to identify the gothic features of buttresses, ornate tracery, decorative columns and arches. It is also very apparent that the building does not display a lot of the typical gothic features that would be considered compulsory to fall under the Neo-gothic design description. The interior displays beautiful curvilinear arches which are backdropped by a simple barrel vault ceiling. The windows have a more rounded arch than the typical pointed arch, the cathedral steeple is far less elaborate than the ones you would expect to see on a normal church and the building has no wings. This, in most part, is due to the restrictions of the relatively small site on which the building is located and why the church attempted to find a more appropriate location in the first instance
Leeds Minster
http://www.leedsminster.org/
The history of this Grade I listed building and the land it stands upon dates back to the 7th century. The first building stood until 633 A.D. when a fire had left it damaged beyond repair. Its replacement came to the same end in the 14th century. The third iteration of this building lasted until the mid 18th century and there had been plans to renovate the entire building. However, the structural damages were far too great that it made more sense for a complete rebuild by 1841, with the new plans put in place, designed by Robert Dennis Chantrell in a Gothic imitation style. The heritage of the site really credits the development of the Gothic styles, beginning with very Norman adaptions with simpler structural design and limited use of the pointed arch. The third iteration used a combination of the Early English and Decorated Gothic styles, that included elaborate pinnacles and pointed arches. The building stood there today shows an almost perfect imitation of the late Perpendicular style. The overall ornate decoration is of far greater detail than the previous buildings, it certainly proves itself as a Grade I listed building.
Fun Fact: When the third building had been demolished, they had found eight fragments of one of Leeds' oldest relics, the Saxon Cross. It can be dated back all the way to 900-950 A.D. and was fully restored.
Mount St Mary’s Church, Richmond Hill, Leeds
The history of this building indicates that it never fully reached completion. The foundation stone was laid in 1853 when only the Nave and side Aisles were completed by the architect Joseph Hansom. Additions were later designed by Edward Pugin, a partner of Hansom’s architectural firm between 1862-63, and work continued until 1866. The additions included the chancel and transepts. The original plan was to include a tower but this never came to fruition. Whilst the exterior of the church is limited in Gothic revival features apart from the obvious gothic arch windows, the interior has an abundance of features, arches, vaults and statues that are a fine example of Gothic Revival Design. There are several beautiful gothic arches through the 3 aisles of the church and decorative tracery to the windows. A beautiful Quadripartite vaulted ceiling and a nave with decorative statues.
The Church was deconsecrated in 1989 due to a dwindling parish population and extensive restoration costs. The building was sold in 1996 and has stood unused since surrounded by scaffolding. Planning was put forward in 2020 to demolish the weaker parts of the existing structure and to then extend the grade II listed remainder for use as an apartment.
St Saviour Church
This is a Grade I listed building, built between 1842 and 1845. The time period places it in the immediate Gothic Revival style, focusing the general design on the 13th century Gothic Style (late Decorated to early Perpendicular style). This is more evident within the interior of the building, showcasing large, pointed, stain glass windows with kaleidoscopic traceries, however, keeping the more Norman barrel-vaulted ceiling. The exterior is a mere extension of the Norman Gothic style, with the use of pointed arches, standing buttresses, and pinnacles on the tower.
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