Yeadon Town Hall is a municipal building in Yeadon, West Yorkshire, England. It is Grade II listed.[1]
| Yeadon Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 Yeadon Town Hall in June 2018 | |
| Location | Yeadon |
| Coordinates | 53°51′58″N 1°41′06″W / 53.8662°N 1.6849°W |
| Built | 1880 |
| Architect | William Hill |
| Architectural style(s) | French Gothic |
| Website | yeadontownhall |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 7 April 1988 |
| Reference no. | 1204098 |
  Shown in West Yorkshire | |
History edit
In the early 19th century the local board of health held its meetings in the old school in what is now Town Hall Square.[2] Meanwhile the local Mechanics Institute used the lecture hall on the High Street for its meetings.[2] After both the old school and the lecture hall became inadequate for meetings, the local board and the Mechanics Institute decides to join together in an initiative to commission a proper town hall.[2] The site selected had previously be owned by a cloth merchant, William Starkey.[3]
Following a competition with more than 200 entries, and with a budget of £5,000, William Hill was chosen to design the building in the French Gothic style.[4] The foundation stone for the new building was laid on 10 May 1879.[2] It was built by the local builder, Richard Hogg, with two storeys and a two-stage clock tower at the centre of the main frontage.[1] (Potts of Leeds supplied the large hour-striking clock for the tower;[5] the clock and bell were paid for by Joseph and Ann Peate, of Nunroyd, Guiseley, to serve as a memorial to their twelve-year-old son who had died in December 1879.)[6] Inside, the design featured offices on the ground floor and an assembly hall on the first floor.[1] It was officially opened by the banker and politician, William Beckett-Denison, on 26 June 1880.[2]
The town hall was the headquarters of Yeadon Urban District Council[7] but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Aireborough Urban District Council was formed, with its headquarters at Micklefield House in Rawdon, in 1937.[8] The town hall continued to be used as a public venue and concert performers included the contralto singer, Kathleen Ferrier, who made an appearance on 3 December 1944.[9]
After Aireborough Urban District Council was abolished in 1972, responsibility for the management of the building was transferred to Leeds City Council in 1974.[10] In 1980 the television producer, Barney Colehan, led a week of festivities to celebrate the centenary of the original opening of the building.[2] The building was used as a registrar's office in the Yorkshire Television programme The Beiderbecke Tapes in 1985.[11] The main assembly hall, which seats up to 500 people, was renovated in 1999.[12]
On 1 April 2019, the management of the venue was taken over by local theatre producer, Jamie Hudson, who created a "Community Interest Company" in order to restore, refurbish and manage the building. Large portions of the building were refurbished and the theatre bar on the first floor was extensively restored.[13] Following a public vote, the refurbished clock was given the name 'Peate's Clock' in memory of its original dedication.[6] The town hall continues to host touring music and theatre shows[14] although the highlight of the year is usually the Christmas Spectacular.[15]
In February 2022, it was announced that Yeadon Town Hall would receive the old organ console from Leeds Town Hall, after a 24 hour process to digitally sample the old organ of Leeds Town Hall. It is hoped that the organ will be playing in Yeadon Town Hall by December 2022.[16]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Town Hall, Yeadon (1204098)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Lovedale, Christine. "Yeadon Town Hall 1800 - 2014". Aireborough Historical Society. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ Lovedale, Christine. "William Starkey 1801-1879". Aireborough Historical Society. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ Price, Roy (June 1980). A History of Yeadon. Yeadon: Maple-Bowes.
- ^ Potts, Michael S. (2006). Potts of Leeds: Five Generations of Clockmakers. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Mayfield Books. p. 68.
- ^ a b "Yeadon Town Hall Honours The Peate Family". Yorkshire Times. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Yeadon Urban District Council, building plans, 1923-1937". National Archives. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Aireborough Council (First) 1937". Aireborough Historical Society. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ Fifield, Christopher (2011). Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier: Revised and Enlarged Edition. Boydell Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-1843830917.
- ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ "The Beiderbecke Affair (1985)". IMDB. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Yeadon Town Hall". Leeds, Live it, Love it. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Community take over set to bring Yeadon Town Hall back to life". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Yeadon Town Hall". Welcome to Yorkshire. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Christmas Spectacular at Yeadon Town Hall". Wharfedale and Craven Mumbler. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Leeds Town Hall organ finds new home thanks to recycling project with visitors entertained by 53-year-old music". Yorkshire Evening Post. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.