History of Pudsey Parish Church.
David Jenkins, a native of Cardiganshire, was just 27 years old when he
came as incumbent of Pudsey's Chapel of Ease (All Saints) in 1814.
Mr Jenkins was one of the first incumbents in the country to apply for a
grant to build a new church under the 1818 Church building act.
This act became known as the Million Act because a million pounds was
made available for building new churches especially in the industrial north.
For more information about "Million Act Churches" there are details
on the Yorkshire section of the GENUKI website. See the link on our
Links Page.
St. Lawrence, Pudsey was one of the first of these churches to be built and the
third most expensive in the first Parliamentary Grant.
In choosing suitable parishes for these new churches preference was
given to those whose pew accommodation was most inadequate and to those
with suitable sites. The Archbishop of York, after visiting Pudsey to
consecrate the newly acquired burial ground wrote to the Church Commissioners:
"I am not aware that there is any part of my Diocese in which an
additional Church is more wanted than at Pudsey. So great is the present
distress in the district from want of adequate employment, that no assistance
is to be expected from the inhabitants themselves."
The Archbishop recommended that the architect Thomas Taylor should be commissioned.
Mr Taylor was established in Leeds and had already designed 6 Churches.
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The Commissioners had originally recommended a £6000 Church to accommodate 1500.
Later they decided to build a larger Church holding 2000 for which they were prepared
to pay up to £15,000.00. The final cost was £13,360.00.
The first stone was laid by Mr Jenkins on 19 July 1821. No expense seemed to
have been spared. The use of Westmorland slate instead of local stone would have
added much to the cost. The slaters appear to have come from Westmorland, as in the
church graveyard is a headstone: In Memory of John Johnson, blue slater, a native of
Bowness in Windermere who unfortunately lost his life by a fall at this Church on
6 April 1823 aged 23 years.
Even with a regular labour force of about thirty the building took three years
instead of the estimated two.
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The Church was consecrated by the Archbishop of York on 30 August 1824.
The morning was ushered in by the ringing of bells and a flag hoisted on the
south west pinnacle of the steeple. It was estimated that 2500 spectators attended.
When silence was obtained the Archbishop led the long procession up the aisle
repeating the 24th psalm. Mr Jenkins preached from the text: This is the house
of the Lord God (1.Chron xxii 1). Followed by the 100th psalm and Luthers Hymn
Information is taken from the Story of Pudsey Church by Ruth Strong, 1988, Copyright
(C) Pudsey Parochial Church Council
For further reading about the history of Pudsey see the Pudsey Civic Society link
on our Links Page.
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All content copyright (c) Pudsey Parish Church 2004.
Page last updated on 31-January-2004