St Martin’s Church was consecrated in 1881 by the Bishop of Ripon on Easter Tuesday, 19th April 1881. The Architects were Messrs Adams and Kelly of Leeds and the cost of building St Martin’s was £8,500. The church is built of stone from the Potternewton quarries which used to be in the vicinity of Sugarwell Hill. The church originally had a seating capacity of 700 and was supposed to have a tall spire, and be surrounded by fields with footpaths to the south and north doors. It was to be a new St Martin’s in the fields. The drawing shows St Martin’s Church as the architects designed it.
The building of the tower began in 1897 but could not be completed due to a weakness that developed in the foundations.
Chancel Murals
The murals were painted in October 1912 by Messrs Hemming and Co. of London. They were estimated to cost £255 after the necessary work on the walls had been carried out.
The basis of the murals are the opening verses of the Te Deum.
The murals were finally completed in 1913.