SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

The following are from John Mayhall’s ‘Annals of Yorkshire’.Volume 1. September 2nd 1841. “Leeds Parish Church. The solemn and imposing ceremony of re-opening and consecrating the church of St. Peter, situate in Kirkgate, which had been rebuilt by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants at a cost of £29,770 6s. 8d., took place on Thursday the 2nd of September…The pulling down of the old fabric commenced the week after Ash-Wednesday, 1838; from which time the parochial service was transferred to St. John’s church. The whole of the church was taken down and re-built, with the exception of a portion of the south wall”.There was much more in the report, which ran from page 472 to 477 and also had an unnumbered page that had a nice engraving of the ‘South East View of the Leeds Parish Church in 1817’ engraved by Henry Le Pettit and published by Joseph Johnson (I have added a scanned copy of that engraving). I like the very precise “£29,770 6s. 8d.” in the report. According to an inflation calculator in the Bank of England website £29,770 in 1841 was equivalent to about £2,534,000 in 2011 at an average inflation rate of 2.6% a year.Volume 3. September 2nd 1867. “The extensive alterations to be made in the widening and improvement of Boar Lane, Leeds, were commenced this day, near the bottom of Albion street, on the premises of Mr. Masser”.    

Re the last entry:Joseph Fallowfield Masser, engraver, lithographer, pattern card maker etc,25 boar lame. ; home Victoria Place, Camp road . (From 1861 Whites directory)

A well-chosen news article for today, Leodian, especially as the Parish Church becomes a Minster later today

Cheers chemimike and Tasa. I knew it was about to become a Minster but I had forgotten it was today! For such a magnificent building (inside and out) it should have been a Minster long ago.

Leodian wrote: Cheers chemimike and Tasa. I knew it was about to become a Minster but I had forgotten it was today! For such a magnificent building (inside and out) it should have been a Minster long ago. Hear Hear,over the years I've always been fascinated by the headstones bedecked at an acute angle on the railway embankments nearby too.

Why are there headstones by the embankment ?I've tried to google them but cannot see them.I seem to remember watching a programme about Leeds with Judy Kidd visiting the area where the headstones are but I don't think there was mention of why they were there.Anybody know or have any pics of them?

Hi Caron. In the late 1860s when the first railway to cross Leeds from west to east was being built, the most suitable route to connect existing railways on opposite sides of the city was through the then graveyard, and dealing with gravestones was thought to be best dealt with by replacing them on the embankment side after the remains had been reinterred elsewhere. There was considerable feeling about it at the time.

jim wrote: Hi Caron. In the late 1860s when the first railway to cross Leeds from west to east was being built, the most suitable route to connect existing railways on opposite sides of the city was through the then graveyard, and dealing with gravestones was thought to be best dealt with by replacing them on the embankment side after the remains had been reinterred elsewhere. There was considerable feeling about it at the time. Thanks jim for the answer. What an odd place to put them though....

Perhaps the idea was along the lines (bad pun there) of the memorial stones still being under the gaze of the church.