St John the Baptist Church, Adel

The Church of Saint John the Baptist in Adel, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is an active Anglican parish church in the archdeaconry of Leeds and the Diocese of Leeds. The church is described by Nicholas Pevsner as 'one of the best and most complete Norman churches in Yorkshire'.[1]

St John the Baptist Church
Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Adel
53°51′27″N 1°35′02″W
LocationAdel, Leeds, West Yorkshire
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Websitewww.adelstjohnchurch.org.uk
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade I listed building
Architectural typeRomanesque
Specifications
MaterialsGritstone with stone slate roof
Administration
ParishAdel
DeaneryHeadingley
ArchdeaconryLeeds
Episcopal areaLeeds
DioceseLeeds
ProvinceYork
Clergy
Priest in chargeThe Revd Alison Battye

History

The church is of Norman origin having been built between 1150 and 1170. Alterations were made in the 14th and 16th centuries. The west gable and bellcote were built between 1838 and 1839 by R. D. Chantrell, who also restored the roof in 1843. In 1879 the church underwent further restoration.[2] The paternal grandparents of the Duchess of Cambridge married at Adel Church in December 1946.[3]

The church was Grade I listed on 26 September 1963; the sundial, a mounting block and several memorials are Grade II listed.

Architecture

Exterior
Doorway
The original Norman door ring in 1963.
The corbel frieze and round Romanesque window

The small two-cell church has a nave and chancel with a lower roof. The south wall of the chancel has a small priests' doorway. In the gable are weathered relief of Christ in majesty and several symbols including the lamb and flag, the cross and the sun and moon. The boarded door had iron studs and a 13th-century bronze closing ring depicting a monster swallowing a man that was replaced by a replica after the original was stolen in 2002.[4] The church has small Norman round windows and a flat-headed 14th-century decorated window in the chancel. The vestry is connected by a short passage to the north-west side of the church with an arched doorway and trefoil window, while the vestry has a three-light east window.[5] The north and south walls are decorated with 81 corbels and the chancel arch has 37 grotesque beakheads. The bellcote dates from 1839.[6]

Interior

The chancel arch dates from 1160-70, its carved capitals show the baptism of Christ, the crucifixion, a centaur with bow and a horseman with lance. The octagonal font at the west end is possibly the original having been found in the churchyard in 1859. A carved oak canopy by Eric Gill from 1921 depicts the crucifixion, six of the sacraments and a Christian arriving in heaven. The oak pulpit with panels carved in linenfold style was presented by EW Beckett of Kirkstall Grange in memory of his wife who died in 1891. The stained glass is by Henry Gyles of York.[7]

Organisation

The church hall is in the old stables.[8] St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School is on Long Causeway.[9]

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See also

References
  1. Wrathmell, Susan; Minnis, John (2005). Leeds. Pevsner architectural guides. Yale U.P. p. 268. ISBN 0-300-10736-6.
  2. "Church of St John the Baptist, Leeds". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  3. Reitwiesner, William Addams; Wood, Michael J. "The Ancestry of Kate Middleton". wargs.com. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  4. Rita Wood, 'The Romanesque Sculpture at Adel Church, West Riding — A Suggested Interpretation', Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 85 (2013), 97–130 (p. 108).
  5. "Church of St John the Baptist, Leeds". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  6. Wrathmell, Susan; Minnis, John (2005). Leeds. Pevsner architectural guides. Yale U.P. pp. 268–70. ISBN 0-300-10736-6.
  7. "Church of St John the Baptist, Leeds". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  8. "The Old Stables". Adel Parish Church of St John the Baptist. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  9. "Adel St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School". Adel St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
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