The parish of St Peter and St Leonard, Horbury, with St John, Horbury Bridge is a vibrant and living Christian community. We are situated just outside Wakefield and part of the Diocese of Leeds, one of the forty-two dioceses of the Church of England. Since the 1830s when the parish was placed in the care of Canon John Sharp (1810-1903, Vicar of Horbury 1934-1899), Horbury has had a long and impressive history within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England. This movement has sought to remind to the wider Church of England that she is part of the ‘One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic’ Church of God, sharing much in common with the historic churches of the East and West, in terms of doctrine and practice. Our Bishop is the Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev’d Tony Robinson, and we are a member of The Society.
Our Vision
Our parish is led by the Vicar, Fr Christopher Johnson SSC, who is supported by two churchwardens and a Reader. Together with the Parochial Church Council (PCC), we share a vision:
- To see those in our pastoral cure come to worship God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through regular attendance at mass and other public worship, and through daily personal prayer;
- To nurture a strong, welcoming and inclusive Christian community, whose values are underpinned by the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ;
- For all members of our church to grow in their Christian discipleship through regular Bible Study, with preaching and teaching;
- To reach out to the local community, by recognising and pledging our individual skills and talents for the benefit of all; and
- To act as sensitive stewards of the resources we have, so that God’s work can continue to develop and meet the changing needs of our parishioners.
Our History
St Peter’s Church was built by the famous Horbury architect John Carr and consecrated in 1794. Carr obtained permission to demolish the old Norman church and begin construction of the current building in 1790. The work was completed at his own expense of £8000, and in order eventually to be used as his mausoleum: Carr is buried in a vault situated under the north transept. Of interest to visitors inside the church are the Corinthian columns, whose capitals are modelled on those of the Temple of Jupiter Stator in Rome, the Harrison & Harrison organ, the Portland stone font, and tablets dedicated to members of the Carr family which flank the entrance to the chancel. A brass to Canon Sharp, Horbury’s most famous incumbent, lies on the north wall of the nave. Our stained glass dates from the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; much was added at the same time as the Lady Chapel.
A tablet of stone situated in the main road at Horbury Bridge proclaims ‘Horbury Bridge: the home of Onward Christian Soldiers’. This reminds passers-by of the foundation of St John’s Church, situated next to the Academy in the centre of the village. In 1864, Canon Sharp sent his new Curate, the Rev’d Sabine Baring-Gould, to provide Christian teaching and worship at the recently-formed community at Horbury Bridge. In the following year, after buying a plot of land, Sabine founded a new mission church and school – this building still stands and is now part of the present school site. The church was then built and consecrated in 1884. In recent years, it has been re-ordered to provide a much-loved and much-used community space. Of architectural interest to visitors is the spectacular rood screen, situated in the centre of the building and dedicated to Baring-Gould, and beyond it, the limestone font, the organ, Baring-Gould’s original processional cross, andwonderful stained glass windows, painted by Charles Eamer Kempe. Baring-Gould was most famous for composing the hymn ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ for the village children to sing as they marched up Quarry Hill on their way to St Peter’s Church on Whit Sunday. We are proud of this wonderful legacy: our hymn has become famous throughout the world.