About Church of St John the Evangelist
St John’s is the oldest church in Leeds city centre, built in 1632-34 the church lies in its magnificent Jacobean (Carolian) fittings, particularly the superb carved wooden screen.
The church building was entirely funded by wealthy merchant and Royalist John Harrison who also paid for the grammar school and almshouses nearby. One of the windows shows an apocryphal tale in which Harrison presents King Charles, imprisoned in Leeds, with a tankard of gold coins disguised as a draught of ale.
Other monuments around the church commemorate the citizens of Leeds throughout the centuries, and emphasise the importance of the wool industry to the city’’s prosperity.