Description

SE2934SE
714-1/74/195
26/09/63

LEEDS
GREAT GEORGE STREET
(North side)
Church of St George

GV
II

Anglican church. 1836-38. By John Clark. Apse added c1890, by
Henry Walker. Ashlar, slate roof. Gothic Revival style.
PLAN: nave and aisles of 8 bays, 3-stage west tower, spire
removed 1962; apse with traceried windows and crocketed
finials; built on a podium which housed the crypt and burial
vaults, with pointed-arch windows (C20 frames), and buttresses
between.
EXTERIOR: west end: steep flight of stone steps flanked by
octagonal moulded piers rise to walkway over the podium; the
tower has diagonal buttresses and west entrance with ogee
crocketed arch dripmould, 3-light plate tracery window above;
clock at 3rd stage. Tall lancet windows to aisles have
hoodmoulds. Plain parapet, shallow pitch roof. East end: a
wall approx 3m high and with octagonal crenellated piers
screens 2 straight flights of steps: those to left rise to
walk way over podium, those to right rise to a pointed-arch
doorway at NE corner of church.
INTERIOR: galleries removed 1989 during refurbishment; apse
with large painted panel by Charles Cope, RA, 'All Nations
looking unto Christ'; a memorial window centre of S wall has
some original stained glass in medallions and was a memorial
to Christopher Beckett, 'one of the principal founders', (see
below).
Queen-post roof spanning full width has carved details and
Gothic arches. Undercroft has shallow segmental vaults which
retain original divisions for the stone coffin shelves which
were removed c1962; chamfered round-arched openings from
burial vault area to west end of crypt.
The church was built on part of Christopher Beckett's Mount
Pleasant estate as part of the development of the Clarendon
Road-Woodhouse Square area by the Atkinsons c1825-40 for which
John Clark designed several large houses, all in Greek style.
The undercroft contained 700 stone recesses for coffins, there
was no graveyard, and 300 were occupied in 1962. The
undercroft was first altered by the vicar, Don Robins (d.1948)
who established a refuge and advice centre for unemployed men
in the 1930s.
(Beresford, M: East End, West End: 1988-: 337; Victorian
Society Walk No 4: Douglas, J & Powell, K: Leeds: Three
Architectural Walks, 2nd Edition: 1988-: 16; Francis, A: Out of the Dust: 1985-: 37).

Listing NGR: SE2951734009

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St George's Church, Leeds at Wikipedia
• St George's Church, Leeds official website
• Wikidata Q7593140

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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