Roman Catholic Cathedral Of St Anne

Roman Catholic cathedral and presbytery with boundary walls, railings and gates, located on Cookridge Street in Leeds.

The cathedral and presbytery date from 1902–04, designed by JH Eastwood and SK Greenslade, with later reordering by Wakeman and Bullen in 1960. The building incorporates remains from the 19th century. The architectural style is Arts and Crafts Gothic Revival.

The cathedral is constructed of Ketton stone ashlar and coursed Horsforth sandstone with slate 2-pitch roofs. The presbytery is built of cream and red brick with a steeply-pitched slate roof featuring a diamond motif to the brick stack between bays 1 and 2 and deep eaves. Stone boundary walls, cast-iron railings and gates complete the complex.

The building occupies an almost-square trapezoidal site sloping up from west to east. The cathedral comprises a wide 4-bay nave with north and south aisles, short transepts, a 4-bay chancel with organ on the north side, an octagonal sacristy to the south, and a 2-stage north tower. A ceremonial west entrance and south entrance from St Ann Street provide access. The presbytery and offices occupy a 2-storey structure with attic and basement on the north-east corner, entered from Great George Street.

The west elevation features a porch with 7 steps to low double gates bearing cross and scroll motifs, with paired panelled doors beneath an arch surmounted by a large stone Crucifix with flanking figures. This fronts the west window of 3, 6, 3 lights, with flanking buttresses.

The south facade has steps leading to deeply-recessed paired panelled doors under a round arch on the left, with 2 and 3-light windows displaying elaborate tracery under deep segmental and pointed arches. The sacristy with single-light windows and octagonal roof projects to the right. The boundary wall has ashlar coping surmounted by plain bars, with thicker standards featuring splayed finials and an overthrow at the entrance.

The north facade displays a 2-stage tower with plinth, narrow windows and niches, 2-light louvred belfry windows, clasping square buttresses and pyramid roof. The presbytery to the left has steps up to a round-arched stone porch with a 4-panel door (top 2 panels glazed) and small-pane cross windows of 5 lights. A canted bay sits to the left of the entrance. The north side boundary wall and railings are similar to those on the south side, fronting the presbytery but interrupted along the range fronting the transept.

Internally, the cathedral contains an elaborate font on the north side. Side chapels with statues and altars line the nave, leading to short transepts and a high chancel with organ on the north side. The nave piers have roll mouldings, and plain walls feature ornate niches high up, with three flanking the chancel arch bearing statues. A shallow pointed arch spans to the roof. The east end displays a mosaic with figures rising to a small east window above a fine carved and painted reredos.

The cathedral retains fittings from the earlier church: a reredos in the south chancel chapel designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and completed by 1842, featuring Decorated details, cresting and 9 figures; and a pulpit by JF Bentley from 1897.

The first church on the site was built in 1838 and became the cathedral of the newly established Roman Catholic diocese of Leeds in 1878. JH Eastwood was a founder member of the Guild of St Gregory and St Luke, an organisation devoted to the improvement of church craftsmanship.