Church History Tour 

There is much evidence of its history, both inside and outside the church, in the form of architectural features, memorials and artefacts. There is a full booklet of historical notes available at the back of the church. But please look at the brief tour below which starts just outside the North Door, then moves inside and around in an clockwise direction:-

Each of the numbered features is described in the text below the plan

The paragraph numbers below relate to the numbers on the plan above.

1. The arch over the North door dates to the 11-12th century and was originally part of the doorway out of the Chancel.
2. Thomas Chippendale (Cabinet Maker) was baptized in this church on 5th June 1718, but not in this font – sadly we have no examples of his work. The font was originally in what is now the Parish Room in an area which used to be the Baptistry.
3. The oldest memorial in the church, the Lindley/Palmes family tree which dates from 1593, is on the wall of the North transept, originally a private chapel established c.1300 by the Lindleys. Bryan Palmes is buried here.
4. The pulpit dates from 1740 and originally had three levels to it. John Wesley, originally an Anglican priest and founder of the Methodist Church, preached from here. It is rumoured that his horse is buried in the churchyard.
5. This ornate memorial in the Chancel is in the style of an Easter Sepulchre and is dedicated to Walter and Maria Fawkes. There was a door behind here, for the priest to enter church, which was closed up c.1850 when the memorial was inserted.
6. The two windows on either side of the altar are part of the original Norman chancel. The one to the right was rediscovered during the restoration of the mid 1860s.
7. The East window, behind the altar, was made by Pilkingtons of St Helens and installed by David Chippindale, a local plumber, in 1852 at a cost of £150. Much of the stonework dates to 1495.
8. The Dyneley tomb may not be that of John Dyneley of Bramhope as we originally thought. At least six other members of the family asked to be buried here in the Sanctuary.
9. In 1793 an organ was placed in a gallery over the Chancel and then moved in 1851 to a gallery over what is now the Parish Room. The present organ was installed in 1903 by Abbot and Smith of Leeds, but the organ console here was refurbished and extended in 2015.
10. This elaborate tomb is in memory of Sir Thomas and Lady Fairfax with whom he had 12 children. He was elected MP four times and served Queen Elizabeth I. He became a Baron during the reign of Charles I – it cost him £1500. The Saracens head indicates the involvement of the family in the Crusades.
11. Some of the Anglian Cross fragments on display here date to the 8th century indicating that the site has been used as a place of worship for at least 1,300 years. A replica cross was created and is used as the Otley War Memorial – it was originally placed in the churchyard and later moved to the Memorial Gardens near to the Bus Station.
12. The War Memorial here (in the South Entrance Lobby) is made of the finest Cararra marble from Italy and commemorates Otley men killed during the First World War. The architect was Oswald Holmes of Otley and it was donated by the Otley Town Council.

WE HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED YOUR VIRTUAL TOUR – DO VISIT THE BUILDING IF YOU CAN – THERE IS MUCH MORE TO SEE AND THERE ARE INFORMATION NOTICES AROUND. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WELCOME ESPECIALLY AT ONE OF OUR SERVICES