Church Of St Mary

Anglican church. Built in 1845-46 by RD Chantrell. It is constructed of coursed stone and ashlar with slate roofs, and is in the Gothic Revival style. The plan includes a nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, and a southwest tower.

The exterior features two-light aisle lancet windows, single-light lancets to the chancel, buttresses, and a string course at sill level. There are five paired windows on the north side, and a blocked transept window. The tripartite east window has attached columns with head stops. A five-light west window is similar, with arcading below. The three-stage tower includes a deep moulded porch, angle buttresses to the lower two stages, three-light belfry windows (with outer lights blocked), and an embattled parapet.

Inside, the tower entrance has Gothic arches to the inner and outer doorways, with plank doors and elaborate scrolled hinges. The nave is five bays wide, with alternate octagonal and cylindrical shafts, tall chamfered arches, and a rafter roof. The chancel arch is chamfered, and the chancel has a rafter roof and a border of cusped arches. Other features include a brass eagle lectern, plain roll-moulded bench pews, open cusped arcading to the choir stalls, a wooden pulpit with similar cusped open panels, a matching altar rail and a stone font at the west end with attached columns and arcading to the bowl with figures in the spandrels.

The east and west windows contain early medieval-style stained glass depicting figures in cartouches. A 20th century reredos has three panels in relief showing the Magi, the Resurrection, and the Presentation.

This church is one of Robert Chantrell’s later Leeds churches, preceding his move to London in 1847. His buildings from 1842-47 reflect his interest in the geometric principles of Gothic architecture and have been described as "an accomplished and assured series of Gothic essays.” The building work was reportedly funded by local miners, who provided both labour and money. The steeple was removed in 1939 due to subsidence.