Friday, May 31, 2013

St. John the Evangelist, Leeds

The oldest church in the city of Leeds, St. John's was built in 1632-34.  It was altered in 1830-38 and was slated for demolition a few years later when it was saved by a campaign supported by Richard Norman Shaw and G.G. Scott.


Shaw continued to restore the church 1866-68, and this work was continued in 1890 by Temple Moore.


Shaw commissioned Salviati to create the gold mosaics in a setting designed by Moore. The angel corbels were reused from the old organ that was rebuilt in 1885. The carved central panel was bought separately and incorporated into the piece.


St. John's has been redundant since 1975 and it has been in the care of the Church's Trust since 1977.

Sources:
Wrathmell, Susan. Pevsner Architectural Guides: Leeds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. 52.
Wikipedia
strabod72's flickr Photostream

1 comment:

  1. St John's Gannow Burnley, architect Angelo Waddington and demolished in 1981 included a fine altar piece of "The Last Supper" by Salviati. Fo further details see Lancashire Record Office and the RSCM archive.

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