Details
LEEDS
SE2934NW UNIVERSITY ROAD
714-1/71/403 (North side)
08/10/70 Leeds University Great Hall,
Clothworkers' Court, Baines Wing
(Formerly Listed as:
UNIVERSITY ROAD, University Of Leeds
Leeds University Great Hall and
Clothworkers' Court)
GV II
Formerly known as: Yorkshire College of Science.
College buildings. 1877-1912. By Alfred Waterhouse and Paul
Waterhouse, his son. The first buildings of the Yorkshire
College and University of Leeds. Red brick laid in decorative
courses and patterns, stone from Spinkwell Quarry for details,
slate roofs. In Free Gothic Revival style.
Near the centre of this asymmetrical group the low stone wall
with railings and Gothic arch with inscription: 'TEXTILE
INDUSTRIES AND DYEING THESE BUILDINGS KNOWN AS THE
CLOTHWORKERS' DEPARTMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS WERE
BUILT AND EQUIPPED AT A COST OF SEVENTY THOUSAND POUNDS/ BY
THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF CLOTHWORKERS OF THE CITY OF LONDON
WHO PROVIDE AN ENDOWMENT OF FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS A YEAR FOR
THEIR MAINTENANCE'.
To left the 6-bay college range, the gabled right bay has
blind arcading, coat of arms, 4-light window flanked by
plaques with carvings of teazles, inscription below: THIS:
BUILDING: WAS: ERECTED: BY: THE: WORSHIPFUL: COMPANY: OF:
CLOTHWORKERS: OF: THE: CITY: OF: LONDON: 1879: FOR: THE:
TEXTILE: INDUSTRIES: DEPARTMENT: OF: THE: YORKSHIRE: COLLEGE';
moulded archway to left and long wall with arcaded windows,
small 2-light windows above; this fronts the north-light
weaving shed block.
To left (west) again are the 8-bay extensions, the gabled bay
opened in 1900 and Paul Waterhouse's long addition with round
archway, gabled upper storey and at left end a tall
pyramid-roofed tower built 1909-12, a plaque at the base of
the tower has another long inscription: 'SPINNING DEPART/ MENT
EXTENSION./ THIS BUILDING WAS/ ERECTED BY MEANS/ OF A
SUPPLEMENTAL/ VOTE OF »5,000 FROM/ THE WORSHIPFUL COM/ PANY OF
CLOTHWORKERS/ OF THE CITY OF LONDON/ IN JULY 1910 SIR OWEN/
ROBERTS, LLD, DCL,/ BEING MASTER./ BY THIS GIFT THE/ AGGREGATE
AMOUNT/ OF THE GRANTS MADE/ BY THE COMPANY FOR/ BUILDING AND
EQUIP-/ MENT WAS RAISED TO/ THE SUM OF »75,000'.
To right of the archway the gable end of the Great Hall,
opened in 1894 by the Duke and Duchess of York; gabled porch
right, paired square windows, buttress between on ground
floor, characteristic bands of stone, large Perpendicular
traceried window flanked by towers with tall pyramidal roofs,
louvred stages and bartizans at corners.
The hall and first college building form 2 sides of the
Clothworkers' Court, the N side of which is part of the Edward
Baines buildings of 1885, 3 gables, mullioned windows; the
range continues to E of the Great Hall, with the 3-storey
7-bay Edward Baines Memorial Wing, dated 1883, central tower
with steeply-pitched slate roof and corner turrets, transom
and mullion windows, gabled dormers, tall ridge ventilators.
Extension west again of 3 storeys over basement, 3 gabled
bays, large mullion and transom windows, 1900-1910.
INTERIOR: western range retains original features including
cantilevered stone stairs with cast-iron rail and Yorkshire
rose motif, columns with Art Nouveau capitals; first-floor
corridor added after 1880 to the original building has
patterned glass in leaded windows; cast-iron spiral stair;
former museum, now meeting room with stained-glass roundels
repeating the teazle motif of the gable end; fine staircase of
2 flights with moulded ramped handrail, scrolled cast-iron
balustrade with tendrils.
Great Hall: staircase lined with Burmantofts tiles, including
balustrade, columns, floors and walls, shades of brown. The
basement originally housed kitchens and dining room, library
on the ground floor, also lecture room, professors' common
room, room for college societies. The large upper floor hall
used for meetings, examinations, public lectures, it has a
gallery at the S end, octagonal columns with floral capitals,
panelled plaster ceiling, cornice with the 'YC' monogram.
The Prince of Wales opened the Yorkshire College buildings in
1885 and Edward VII opened the last phase of brick buildings
in 1908, following the establishment of Leeds University by
royal charter in 1904. Full details of the history and use of
the buildings are given in Gosden and Taylor, p.133.
(Studies in the History of a University: Beresford, MW in
Gosden, P and Taylor, AJ: Red Brick and Portland Stone: Leeds:
1975-: 133).
Listing NGR: SE2935634689
