Over 850 years of continuous Christian witness on this site
A parish church has stood on this site since at least 1168. The current building — designed by Robert Dennis Chantrell, the architect of Leeds Parish Church — was completed in 1848 and is Grade II listed by Historic England.
Miles Gale’s Drawing of the church in 1773
A Chantrell church, built for a Yorkshire mill town
Robert Dennis Chantrell was one of the leading church architects of his generation. The work he did at Leeds Parish Church (now Leeds Minster) shaped Anglican church design across the North for decades. St Andrew’s is one of his last major churches, reflecting Keighley’s growth from a market town into a textile-industry centre. It carries his characteristic confidence and proportion: a galleried interior, fine stained glass, dressed stone and a tower that holds a renowned ring of eight bells, often considered among the best in Yorkshire, and anchors the town centre.
St Andrew’s Church in 1848
Significant developments following St Andrew’s initial construction
| Year | Significant Development |
|---|---|
| 1877 | Organ built and installed by Messrs. Brindley and Foster. |
| 1898 | New vestry, choir vestry / parish room / office added at the East end of the South aisle. |
| 1900 | New entrance made at the West end of the tower. The South door was previously the main entrance. |
| 1903 | Damaged town centre clock replaced by a new clock in the church tower. |
| 1914 | 1761 church bells re-cast and re-hung as a ring of 8. |
| Post 1918 | War Memorial Chapel created at the East end of the North Aisle. |
| 1931 | Side galleries removed, whilst retaining the rear gallery. |
| 1955 | Original organ rebuilt. |
| 1975 | Pews removed from the North aisle and two choir stalls moved next to the organ console to make room for a Nave altar. |
| 1976 | Area under West gallery reordered into a Narthex and new meeting room created named after Canon Hamer, a former rector of the church. |
| 1981 | Part of churchyard by West door incorporated into Bradford Council’s reorganisation of Church Green. |
| 1985 | Nave reordered with chairs replacing pews. |
| 2003-6 | Major repairs to roof and drains undertaken. |
| 2005 | New “I am” stained glass window added to North Aisle. |
| 2006 | Kitchenette and disabled toilet installed. |
| 2009 | Glazed entrance lobby added at West entrance. |
| 2012 | New lighting installed and redecoration carried out. |
| 2019 | Kitchenette updated. |
| 2025 | New energy efficient lighting installed. |
Further historic information can be read in Peter Mott’s “A Brief History of the Parish of Keighley” (2007) and the Statement of Significance.
Conservation
St Andrew’s sits within Keighley’s central Conservation Area, which protects the town’s 19th-century commercial and civic core. Works to the church and the new community hall have been designed and adapted following detailed consultation with the local community, Bradford Council’s conservation team, the national Church Buildings Council, the Victorian Society and the Leeds Diocesan Advisory Committee. The result is a scheme that strengthens the Conservation Area rather than working against it: the new hall complements the church visually; the Northwest Beacon entrance opens the site to the green and its historic fabric is renewed rather than rebuilt.
