I haven't posted a report on here for nearly a year now, mainly because I've been wrestling furiously with my bastard degree and haven't really been exploring. One or two things have gone off, but nothing worthy of a write up, mostly just silliness and mischief, fireworks in drains, gatecrashing Deltic rallies, drunkenly clambering about on live hospital rooftops, more trains, assorted explosions, even more trains, you know how it goes. First of all, to state the obvious I have reported this one before. It was one of the first locations I shot on film and suffice to say since then I have not really looked back. I've seen it pop up again recently on here, and seeing as I took a trip back to the old gal not too long ago I thought I'd stick some of mine up. Access was fun, good old fashioned problem solving, though it took less time than when Sammy and I originally visited this place last year.
Mount St Mary's Church, "The Famine Church" due to the fact that it was built during the recovery of the Irish from the great potato famine, potentially helping to stabilise a community that had seen traumatic times. She stands high on Richmond Hill in Leeds, an area known traditionally as 'The Bank' and once home to Leeds' poor Irish Catholic population. In 1851, following a meeting between Father Robert Cooke of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a group of the city's Irish Catholics, St Mary's Mission was opened by the Oblates. Construction on the church began in 1852, however funds were desperately low and the building took five years to build, the main building (designed by Joseph Hansom of the Hansom Cab fame) finally achieving completion in 1857, with the chancel and transepts (designed by EW Pugin) being added in 1866.
The church closed it's doors for the last time in 1989, reportedly due to a dwindling congregation, and was deconsecrated by the Catholic church. Rumour has it that the owner sold anything of value inside before leaving this beautiful building to rot.
Shot on some cheap fuji stuff.
Massive apologies for this one, I wanted to convey some scale as the place is absolutely massive, but it just looks cliche. Bah.
Mount St Mary's Church, "The Famine Church" due to the fact that it was built during the recovery of the Irish from the great potato famine, potentially helping to stabilise a community that had seen traumatic times. She stands high on Richmond Hill in Leeds, an area known traditionally as 'The Bank' and once home to Leeds' poor Irish Catholic population. In 1851, following a meeting between Father Robert Cooke of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a group of the city's Irish Catholics, St Mary's Mission was opened by the Oblates. Construction on the church began in 1852, however funds were desperately low and the building took five years to build, the main building (designed by Joseph Hansom of the Hansom Cab fame) finally achieving completion in 1857, with the chancel and transepts (designed by EW Pugin) being added in 1866.
The church closed it's doors for the last time in 1989, reportedly due to a dwindling congregation, and was deconsecrated by the Catholic church. Rumour has it that the owner sold anything of value inside before leaving this beautiful building to rot.
Shot on some cheap fuji stuff.
Massive apologies for this one, I wanted to convey some scale as the place is absolutely massive, but it just looks cliche. Bah.
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