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St.Wilfrid’s Parish Church - Calverley

INTRODUCTION

St. Wilfrid’s is a fine example of a 14th Century mediaeval Parish Church with relics of Norman stones and sections of 11th -12th Century walling in the Nave. The tower may have been rebuilt on old foundations, or some limitations in the substrata may have caused the slight misalignment and in the slightly skewed Western arch from the masons’ reconciliation when it became apparent too late to rebuild. Both the East and West windows are 14th Century in the Decorated style which is rare in West Yorkshire. The top stage of the tower shows 15th Century detail and may have been completed or rebuilt later.

As with most mediaeval churches St. Wilfrid’s had its share of Victorian re-ordering, from about 1870 when the arcades were rebuilt, the Chancel arch widened for remodeling, fortunately here without the successive raising of steps which make restored historic and modem liturgical presentation so difficult and bedevil attempts at re-ordering. The Organ transept and Vestry were added then. The South Porch is visually difficult to date and is of different scale and construction from the body of the church and relates more to the tower in its detail and stone vaulted roof with bedded stone flagged slating.

The East window, now with much new tracery since its restoration of 1870 and its find of mediaeval stained glass restored some ten years ago, is the treasure here, although one must regret the loss of face detail in the later figures.

Parish expectations today look beyond a building solely used for Sunday Worship and Occasional Offices and seek to foster a much wider pastoral mission encompassing ecumenical and secular communities in the spirit of Christ. The Church must not now be seen just as a place of Worship at infrequent times, mostly justifiably locked for security, but as a place associated with daily use and natural supervision. In Mediaeval times the church building would have been a centre of community activity and it is ourdesire to see it being utilized again as such in the 21st Century.  To that end it is considered both essential and necessary to adapt the interior of the building for current and future use.

Since the advent of ‘The King’s Arms’ service in October 1996, a ‘fresh expression’ of  ‘church’ and ‘the Gospel’ to previously disenfranchised ‘unchurched’ families, the urgent need for some kind of interior reordering has become apparent. To that end over the last ten years the removal of pews (first, three central rows; followed by ten lateral rows) at the front of the church has provided a greater degree of flexibility, both for family worship as well as dramatic and audio-visual presentations and concerts, and also for the very popular Friday morning Coffee Shop.