What is Vineyard House?    

Vineyard House was originally a Parochial Institute for nearby St Michael's Church, built in 1883 by George Corson.

Corson came from Scotland and was an architect with a prominent Leeds practice responsible for several large houses in Headingley and many buildings in Leeds including the Grand Theatre, Leeds Central Library and an extension to Leeds General Infirmary. Corson lived in Headingley where he died in 1910 aged 81, and is buried in Lawnswood Cemetery which he himself had designed.

The Parochial Institute derived from the efforts of the Vicar of St Michael’s Church, the Reverend F J Wood to create a community building. The corner stone of the Parochial Institute was laid on 28th July 1883 by The Worshipful The Mayor of Leeds (Edwin Woodhouse).

Leeds Vineyard took ownership on 10 December 2018.

We believe God has called us to establish a community of faith in Headingley which, through Vineyard House, will communicate God’s love, mercy and compassion to all people.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to establish Vineyard House as an iconic building bringing life, light, music and hospitality to the Headingley community: an open space in which Christian compassion finds full expression; a place where the stranger is welcome, where anyone can pray, where the lonely and vulnerable will feel safe.

Our mission is for rooms to echo with the joyful sounds of young people and children, of music being played and art created - for the building to radiate warmth for those seeking support and help, to feed the hungry and befriend the refugee.

Currently

As a church we rent space for our Sunday worship gathering from our friends at Headingley Methodist Church. We also use that building for other events and ministries including for children and young people, and for the work of the Child Contact Centre (known as "The Vine").

We have reached the stage where we need our own space, not for Sunday worship but for midweek activities. Developing our own base and venue will enable the church to help those in need and provide services more effectively to the elderly, families, children, young people and students. Vineyard House will achieve this by providing a communal space, a venue, meetings places, offices and rooms for various helping services. Initially it will offer a Prayer Room and provide a long-term base for the Child Contact Centre and for a Counselling service aimed at improving mental health in the local community.

Architectural Presentation Boards including concept proposals

The appointed architect for the Vineyard House project Stephen Dixon from Calls Architecture has helped us deepen our knowledge of how St Michaels Parochial Institute was originally designed and how it has changed since its construction for various community activities over time. Research in the West Yorkshire Archive Service has allowed us to create two exceptional boards detailing the history of the building and we are very fortunate to be able to showcase on these the original architectural drawings by George Corson. The design presentation boards are well worth a closer look and include architectural layouts and concept proposals of how we might remodel Vineyard House.  


FAQ and Timeline