Late Victorian Burley Three

Burley House

It was John Smith of Burley House, a retired banker and Christian gentleman, who had, in the middle of the 19th Century, substantially ensured that both the Church School, then in the small now derelict building opposite his home, and St Matthias Church were built. Despite his influence and affluence - in those days Burley House included ten acres of land stretching down towards Kirkstall Road - he had, at first, considerable difficulty in persuading the powers-that-be that a church was needed in the parish. The great Dr Hook (whose statue stands in City Square) pooh-poohed the idea; Lord Cardigan was initially reluctant to sell the necessary land.

John Smith was not, however, as anonymous as his name. He bought the land and helped pay for the construction works; William Beckett M.P. (of Beckett Park) paid for the building of the spire; William Plews of 'Woodlands' presented the chiming clock in memory of his wife Isabella.

The church initially stood in splendid isolation on the slopes of Burley, serving the little community of the Village and Bucktrout Lane. It was not until the late 1880's that the hillside suddenly became a network of residential streets. The Wolseleys, St Matthias Street, Amy and Lilian Streets, named presumably by a builder for his daughters, were small back-to-backs (demolished in the 1960's). They were rapidly followed, in the 1890's, by development on either side of Haddon Road, the Cardigans (nearer the river), the Greenhows and the Argies.

This surge of population - growing in fifteen years from 2,500 to 10,000 - put pressure on local amenities. The church, for instance, had a new aisle added in 1887, and was renovated in 1892.

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