Details
LEEDS
SE23NE BECKETT PARK, Beckett Park
714-1/6/522 The Grange
19/10/51
(Formerly Listed as:
BECKETT PARK, Beckett's Park
Kirkstall Grange or New Grange)
GV II*
Country house, now offices and lecture rooms. 1752. By James
Paine. For Walter Wade. Alterations c1834 and c1858 for Sir
John and William Beckett. Ashlar gritstone, blue slate roofs
and lead-covered dome. 2 and 3 storeys over basement, main 3 x
5 bay block with lower 2-bay range to left.
Main block: central glazed porch with Ionic columns supporting
entablature with balustraded parapet, flanking canted bay
windows, round-arched, 4-pane sashes. A central round-arched
recess breaks into pediment containing carved coat of arms.
Fenestration: central Venetian window in moulded architrave
with pediment, shouldered architraves and pediments to
flanking windows, sashes with glazing bars. 2nd floor: 6-pane
sashes, cornice over centre. Modillion cornice, 3 corniced
stacks and low glazed dome to ridge, 2 stacks left. To left of
main block: 2 canted bay windows, glazing bars left and 4-pane
sashes right; paired 6-pane sashes, moulded cornice and
pediment above.
Right return: 2 large canted bay windows with tall 4-pane
sashes to ground floor, balustraded parapet over; sashes with
glazing bars to 1st floor, the centre with consoles and
cornice; 6-pane square sash windows to 2nd floor; modillion
cornice as front.
INTERIOR: central staircase hall and circulating plan of
interconnecting rooms, former service wing to NW. Entrance
hall with fine relief plasterwork panels and medallions, Doric
frieze and cornice. Pilastered segmental archway to octagonal
stairwell; cantilevered staircase with curved plain iron
balusters, niches and plasterwork, lantern over, Ionic
columned doorways off. Series of rooms with fine plasterwork,
fireplaces etc., including: front left, a long room lit by 2
bay windows, ceiling plasterwork with scrolls and swags in
high relief, dentilled cornice, dado rail, wooden fire
surround with egg-and-dart mouldings, central mask, palm
fronds, 6-panel end doors in architrave with pulvinated
frieze. Front right: oval pattern to plaster ceiling, laurel
wreath, scrolls and swags in high relief, carved skirting,
dado rail, fireplace in eared architrave, oval panel,
pulvinated frieze with oakleaf pattern, corniced shelf;
6-panel doors in architrave with console brackets and deep
cornice.
Opening off this room, to rear right, through a mock double
door with original fittings, a very fine music room: scrolled
plaster ceiling with panels depicting musical instruments; 4
full-height niches with carved panels and moulded brackets,
carved skirting, panelled dado and rail, wooden fire surround
has eared architrave, scroll and leaf motifs.
From the staircase hall a corridor opens off to left leading
to a second top-lit staircase with curved square-section
newels and ramped handrail. First floor not seen in detail:
service stair rises from 1st floor left, cast-iron scrolled
balusters, fluted newel with bud finial, ramped handrail;
rooms reputed to retain plasterwork, some divided by modern
partitions; attic rooms not seen.
Sir John and William Beckett were members of the important
Leeds banking family who moved to Kirkstall Grange in the
1830s and made alterations including added bay windows,
staircase and service ranges.
(Linstrum, D: The Historic Architecture of Leeds: 1969-: 31;
Leach, P: James Paine: 1988-: 58, 188).
Listing NGR: SE2679436689
