All Saints’ Church, Ledsham

Built in the Anglo-Saxon times over 1200 years ago it stands as not only the oldest church but also the oldest building in West Yorkshire. It is generally kept unlocked between the hours of 10am and 4pm and you are welcome to visit.

A church is believed to have existed in Ledsham before the Norman Conquest, with parts of the current parish church dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. The building uses Thornhill Rock Sandstone and Dolomitic Limestone, both quarried locally. While not mentioned in the Domesday Book, the church was owned by the de Lacy family at the time and was later gifted to Pontefract Priory in the 12th century.

The church features a tower with a spire, a nave with a north aisle and south porch, and a chancel with a north chapel and vestry. The south-side tower doorway, renovated by Henry Curzon in 1871, is distinctive for its off-centre decoration. An unusual 2-foot-wide, 14-foot-high door between the south porch and nave has puzzled historians, with suggestions that it may have been used for processions carrying a large cross.

The tower showcases three architectural periods—Perpendicular, Norman, and Saxon—while the chancel arch, dated to the 7th or 8th century, bears carvings similar to those found in early French churches. The nave’s south wall is Anglo-Saxon but was modified over the centuries, with 13th-century windows replaced by larger 15th-century ones. The sandstone walls feature a distinctive angled construction, similar to early churches like those in Jarrow and Escomb.

Renovations in 1871 introduced oak fittings and a new font near the south door. Tombs of note include those of Dame Mary Bolles (d. 1662), who inherited the Ledsham estate after the Reformation, and Lady Elizabeth Hastings, a local benefactor, resting in a tomb by sculptor Peter Scheemakers.

The church organ, installed in 1881 by Abbott and Smith, is celebrated for its exquisite tonal design. With origins potentially as early as the 8th century, the church is considered the oldest surviving church and possibly the oldest building in West Yorkshire. Grade I listed since 1967, it stands within the Ledsham Conservation Area.
Noted for its Anglo-Saxon heritage, the church is believed to have been a key ecclesiastical centre for the ancient forest of Loidis. Simon Jenkins includes it among West Yorkshire’s top churches, praising its history and the remarkable tales of the women buried within.