St Mary’s Church, Whitkirk, is the second oldest church in Leeds. Vicars of Whitkirk can be traced back to 1185 AD although there was probably a church on this site before that date.

It is possible that there was a Saxon church of blackened timber which was then replaced by a stone church giving rise to the name “Whitechurche” (Whitkirk). The earliest reference to “Whitechurche” is in a charter of Henry de Laci conferring land to the Knights Templar. The names of the witnesses prove the date of this charter to be between 1154 and 1166.

The font and the piscina date from the 12th century although the present Grade 1 listed building is predominantly from the 14th and 15th centuries, with later additions and alterations. The font is a single piece of magnesium limestone identified as being from the quarry which provided stone for the construction of York Minster.

Temple Newsam House At St Mary’s Church, Whitkirk, there is an inscribed tablet in the Holy Trinity Chapel (also known as the Ingram Chapel or the Irwin Chapel) which commemorates Sir Arthur Ingram (1565-1642) who, in 1622, built Temple Newsam House which is situated three quarters of a mile from the church.

On 19 September 1922 the house and the park were sold to Leeds Corporation for a nominal sum with covenants put in place to ensure that the house and the park were preserved for future generations to enjoy.

A service of Holy Communion is held in September each year to mark the date of the acquisition of Temple Newsam by the City of Leeds and this Sung Eucharist is celebrated in the Long Gallery at Temple Newsam House.

John Smeaton “The Father of Civil Engineering in Britain”, John Smeaton was born, raised and ultimately died in the parish of Whitkirk. He is buried within the Church.