BBC Better: Filming moves to abandoned church on Chapeltown Road in Leeds

Film crews have been setting up a location shoot at an abandoned Victorian church in Leeds.

Trucks from stage and TV lighting hire firm PKE were seen arriving at the old Union Chapel and Congregational Chapel building on Chapeltown Road this morning and gazebos were erected in the grounds by crew members.

The Grade II-listed former church, synagogue and Sikh temple dates back to the 1870s but has been derelict since the 1990s.

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The shoot is likely to be for BBC crime drama Better, which is being filmed across Leeds this summer and is also set in the city.

Production crew setting up at the old Union Chapel on Chapeltown RoadProduction crew setting up at the old Union Chapel on Chapeltown Road
Production crew setting up at the old Union Chapel on Chapeltown Road
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Other locations used include the city centre, Corn Exchange, Kirkstall Road and Bingley bypass - which was closed to traffic to allow filming of a police chase scene to take place.

The thriller tells the story of a police inspector who, as a young officer, struck a 'deal' with an ambitious member of the city's criminal underworld that suited them both.

The plot is about her redemption and morality 20 years on.

The derelict building would make an impressive and atmospheric gothic locationThe derelict building would make an impressive and atmospheric gothic location
The derelict building would make an impressive and atmospheric gothic location

Netflix period crime drama Bodies is also being shot in Yorkshire currently - with Leeds on the list of locations after a stint in Hull's Old Town.

The history of Chapeltown's abandoned church

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The Newton Park Congregational Church was built in 1870, followed by the Newton Park Union Chapel on the eastern side of the original building in 1887.

The earlier church was destroyed by a fire in 2005 and the remains of the structure can be seen at the rear of the site in poor condition. After falling out of use as a church it was taken over by the Jewish community as a synagogue.

Crew members gather at the former churchCrew members gather at the former church
Crew members gather at the former church

The newer Union Chapel was a Royal Air Force Association Club in the 1950s, but by the 1960s had been purchased by the Sikh community for use as a gurdwara before a larger temple complex was built on the other side of Chapeltown Road.

The ornate Potts & Sons clock on the building, which was listed in 1996, was originally installed in Wellington Station in Leeds in 1916 before being moved to the church in 1938.

The building is believed to have been empty since the 1990s and has become a magnet for urban explorers. Its current ownership is unclear.

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