[3] The cathedral and the Church of the Holy Rosary on Chapeltown Road together serve the Leeds parish of Our Lady of Unfailing Help.

[4] In 1786, Lady Lane Chapel was built, the first post-reformation Catholic place of worship in the city.

[5] The earlier St Anne's Roman Catholic Church, built in 1838 on the corner of the Headrow and Cookridge Street was granted cathedral status in 1878 upon the creation of the Diocese of Leeds.

[3] The cathedral's life was short-lived as in 1899, Leeds Corporation pushed ahead with plans to widen The Headrow and develop it into a Boulevard style street.

[7] The current cathedral was designed in the Arts and Crafts Gothic Revival style by John Henry Eastwood (1843–1913), a Leeds-born and London-based architect with previous experience in designing church buildings, much work was also carried out by his assistant, Sydney Kyffin Greenslade (1866–1955).

[6] After renovation in the cathedral (2005–2006) relics of English Catholic martyrs, Blessed Peter Snow and Ralph Grimston, were placed in the altar.

[1] The cathedral has an aisled nave and chancel under a continuous roof with narrow transepts and chapels.

The church has a small tower to the north west corner, from which the flag of Vatican City is flown.