Leeds Minster - The Exterior

A general view of Leeds Minster from the north-west

When investigating the mediaeval churches of South Yorkshire and the surrounding counties, back in 2016, my idea was to revive an interest in standing buildings archaeology that arose when undertaking a survey of the building stones used in All Saints church in Pontefract, ahead of a major programme of restoration to its tower. 

A view of the tower at Leeds Minster

Also, I wanted to try and establish a connection with architects and surveyors, who might value my specialist skills – as a geologist - in the identification and matching of building stone, which I used to good effect when establishing Triton Building Restoration Ltd. in London and subsequently as a consultant to this company. 

A view of Leeds Minster from the south-east

Although I have visited various churches that have been substantially restored or rebuilt/newly built by Victorian architects, these usually don’t show much variation in the styles of masonry or the building stones used and I therefore haven’t spent too much time describing them in this Language of Stone Blog. 

A Perpendicular Gothic style window

When I visited Leeds Minster, rebuilt 1838-1841, I spent very little time looking at its exterior, which is in a Gothic Revival style with largely Perpendicular details. Built in coarse grained Rough Rock, of a type that known as Bramley Fall – following on from the building of Kirkstall Abbey using stone quarried in Bramley – there is little scope for fine stone carving and the various crocketed finials are its most ornamental feature. 

Coarse grained sandstone from the Rough Rock

The plan of this Grade I Listed church, with its very large central tower placed offset on the north elevation and outer north aisle, is quite unusual but – looking for some interesting details - I just quickly walked around the exterior, taking a few general photos of each elevation and a couple of details that show the grain size and texture of the gritstone used here. 

Sandstone from the Elland Flags used for inscribed grave slabs

In the churchyard, numerous large inscribed grave slabs have been used to form the surface of various pathways and, on the north side of Kirkgate, similar stones cover the railway embankment that forms part of Penny Pocket Park. These are made of stone quarried from the Elland Flags which, like the Greenmoor Rock and Brincliffe Edge Rock from South Yorkshire, was once extensively used in and around Leeds for paving, monuments and general building and widely exported to other parts of the UK.

 

A view of Leeds Minster from Kirkgate railway bridge