A Brief History of the Church
St Saviour’s Church was the foundation of Edward Bouverie Pusey, Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. The architect was John Macduff Derick (1815-1859). He was born in Sligo, Ireland, practised in Oxford and was a pupil of Sir John Soane and a friend of A.W.N. Pugin.
St Saviour’s was built from three motivations. Firstly, as a memorial to Pusey’s wife and two of his daughters. Secondly, as an attempt to establish Tractarian principles in a church parish setting. Thirdly, as a missionary endeavour in a desperately poor area of Leeds known as ‘The Bank’. Pusey asked his friend W.F Hook, Vicar of Leeds, for a site in the most deprived area of Leeds on which to build his church.
Originally it was intended that the church would be titled ‘Holy Cross’, but the Bishop of Ripon refused it saying that such a designation equated to Roman Catholic symbolism. After many battles over furnishings and liturgy, St Saviour’s was consecrated on 28th October 1845.
The stained glass, in the main, is by Michael O’Connor (1801-1866) and made in his studio in Clifton, Bristol. However, the West window and the North and South transept windows are by Pugin, who visited during Holy Week in 1850. There are also windows by members of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood including William Morris, Ford Madox Brown, Burne-Jones and Rosetti. There is one window in the south aisle by Baguley of Newcastle. All these date from the period 1867 -1878.
In the period July 1866 to January 1867 the church was restored by G.E. Street and a further restoration by G.F. Bodley in 1889-1890 gave us the church much as we see it now. At that time a chapel on the South side of the church was built as a memorial to Dr Pusey who died in 1882. It is dedicated to St Edward.
The reredos in the chapel contains the Parish WW1 memorial. It was carved by Frances Darlington of Harrogate and decorated by Mrs Edith Butler. The two carvings on the north wall of the chapel are thought to be by Thomas Garner.
Almost all the leaders of the Oxford Movement and their associates in the Cambridge Camden Society preached or officiated here, including Dr Pusey and John Keble.
The communion plate of the church, a gift from the friends of Dr Pusey’s daughter, Lucy, made of Gold and studded with many precious stones, is presently in the Treasury of York Minster.
