Repairs to historic St John’s Church agreed with Leeds City Council
Historic features will be fixed at Grade I-listed St John’s Church on New Briggate to secure its future as an architectural landmark.
The city centre’s oldest church is set to be preserved after repair plans were agreed with the council.
Historic features will be fixed at Grade I-listed St John’s Church on New Briggate to secure its future as an architectural landmark.
Leeds City Council granted planning permission for repairs to clock faces, parapets and pinnacles at the church, which dates back to 1632.
A planning officer’s report said the Jacobean building was considered to have special historic interest.
It said: “The church is constructed in Millstone Grit, with the tower incorporating masonry detailing and timber louvres to the belfry openings.
“The site includes the church and its surrounding churchyard, with frontages to New Briggate, Merrion Street, Wade Lane and Mark Lane.”
The Church of St John the Evangelist was originally built by John Harrison, a wealthy cloth merchant and philanthropist.
In 1975 St John’s was declared redundant and transferred to the Redundant Churches Fund, later named the Churches Conservation Trust.
Scaffolding will be erected around the building, part of the Grand Quarter Conservation Area, to enable the repairs to go ahead.
The project includes the installation of anti-pidgeon spikes to prevent future damage to exterior clock faces.
The planning report said: “The works proposed are like-for-like repairs to address issues identified through a specialist inspection of the Grade I-listed building.
“Masonry repairs and repointing to the tower are proposed, including replacement of damaged belfry opening masonry and consolidation of parapets and pinnacles.”