Twentieth century Architecture of Leeds

1 twentieth century

1.1 era
1.2 art deco
1.3 1920s , 1930s
1.4 brutalism
1.5 1960s 1980s
1.6 1990s
1.7 housing

twentieth century

hyde park picture house



leeds civic hall in millennium square



poulson s leeds international swimming pool, opened in 1966



parkinson building @ university of leeds



quarry house, quarry hill cited example of poor architecture, , nicknamed kremlin or ministry of truth

leeds has wide variety of buildings era. chapel allerton has many art deco semi detached houses 1930s while large parts of city centre contain many commercial buildings era. seacroft has many examples of 20th century residential architecture.

early era

for first decade of 20th century many areas of leeds saw continuation of victorian style architecture, particularly in areas beeston.

the hyde park picture house, hyde park built in 1908 hotel , in 1914 converted picture house. cinema has gas lighting, original organ , piano. grade ii listed building , 1 of few surviving picture palaces in uk. picture house regarded many 1 of finest examples of edwardian architecture in leeds.

art deco

chapel allerton , lesser extent headingley boast many art deco houses. parts of leeds general infirmary built in art deco styles. chapel allerton boasted former dominion cinema, built in art deco style, closed in late 1960s , became bingo hall; later demolished in 1990s. fish , chip shop in oakwood retains art deco front 1930s.

1920s , 1930s

quarry hill flats, june 1967



hunslet grange (leek street) flats, hunslet, 1973

leeds civic hall designed e. vincent harris in 1926 , built between 1931 , 1933 provide unemployed work during great depression. quarry hill estate designed in 1933 not completed until 1941 designed leeds director of housing rah livett(1898–1959) , utilised monolithic modernist design based on european examples, in particular karl marx-hof in vienna. revolutionary @ time when mass council housing based on weak neo-georgian design. demolished throughout 1970s , 80s after poor maintenance.

it provided backdrop yorkshire television sitcom, queenie s castle.

the queens hotel on city square constructed in 1937.

the following year, shaftesbury house, large five-storey brick hostel working men , woman opened. designed in 1936 george clark robb, senior architectural assistant livett, , after closure, converted in 2006-7 sustainable green house.

brutalism

leeds has limited examples of brutalism, 1 such being leeds international swimming pool (designed disgraced architect john poulson). until commencement of demolition in autumn 2009, following closure in october 2007. leeds international pool not without design flaws, pool size miscalculated , less inch narrow qualify olympic standard meaning never held competitions council had hoped , spent of 1960s closed while problems construction rectified.

parts of merrion centre have brutalist undertones, particularly around office blocks constructed part of , former outdoor escalators rear.

hunslet grange flats (more commonly known leek street flats) displayed brutalism. replaced run down back houses. unusual leek street chosen informal name replaced many other streets, including longer streets such alton street. flats popular @ first; however, poorly designed , constructed in 1983 demolished thirteen years after being constructed. smaller shops on site had been demolished earlier.

for picture of flats see leodis database:(picture in 1975) , (picture in 1973).

often unseen parts of university of leeds display elements of brutalism, large areas of exposed concrete. a660 however, older parts of university visible. view these parts of university necessary walk through main campus.

1960s 1980s

many areas of leeds such seacroft entirely built in era. there many high-rise council flats in leeds office buildings such west riding house. many victorian slums demolished during era , replaced council housing. there widespread private residential developments. holt park joint effort between leeds city council , norman ashton. there many ashtons homes built during time, particularly in holt park , wetherby.

west riding house completed in 1973 , tallest building in leeds until completion of bridgewater place in 2007. in 2008 knocked third position opening of opal tower.

the inner ring road constructed on course of 1960s. ambitious scheme of kind in uk leeds city council subsequently promoting city slogan motorway city of seventies. works involved construction of many flyovers , tunnels , motorway construction notable in itself.

another council plan during 1960s separate pedestrians , traffic, , proposed new buildings in city square built overhead walkway – never came fruition, short section ever being built.

the growth of financial , business services sector mid-1980s onwards resulted in boom in office developments in city centre. many of buildings constructed @ time in style known leeds , typified use of dark red brickwork , steeply pitched grey slate roofs.

1990s

the 1990s saw further residential development, such around colton. schofields department store demolished , replaced schofield centre (later headrow centre , core) , white rose centre constructed. 1990s saw tesco redevelop seacroft town centre, had been architecturally notable 1960s architecture.

quarry house constructed on site of former quarry hill flats (see 1920s , 1930s) @ quarry hill. building houses department of health , department work , pensions , main regional offices. building controversial. imposing design has been regarded being domineering , self-important , has led building nicknamed kremlin , ministry of truth.

housing

private housing built ashtons in holt park



boarded prefabricated housing in seacroft

as in of uk, leeds housing stock had fallen disrepair middle of 20th century. city overcrowded, , victorian terraces unsuitable modern inhabitation. leeds had 1 of labour orientated councils , in 1930s pledged replace 30,000 slums. older houses relied on heating open coal fires, led problems smog (in 1962, 24 deaths in leeds attributed this), although problem partially relieved in 1950s introduction of clean air act 1956. although slum clearance scheme under way in 1930s, took until after second world war, scheme under way. in 1950s, largest social housing project began building of seacroft estate. seacroft planned @ time satellite town within city limits . building of new council estates prevalent in city s east end , because of city expanded further east in latter part of 20th century did other direction. langbar gardens estate (completed 1966) in swarcliffe lay right on eastern fringes of city sprawl until demolished in 21st century, including high-profile implosions of langbar towers, langbar grange , ash tree grange. 1960s , 1970s land social housing becoming scarcer , council started looking towards building high rise , such estates cottingley sporting prominent tower blocks. 1970s less land available such developments , particularly large estates becoming unpopular, faced need larger social housing stock, leeds city council built smaller estates such holt park (in partnership norman ashton), replaced prefabricated war houses in cottingley newer prefabs , redeveloped areas such beckhill in meanwood.

perhaps obvious housing incarnation of era has been council house. these have been subject of controversy since built. on 1 hand people argue vastly improved britain s housing stock, , provided occupants modern luxuries such central heating, inside lavatory , modern kitchen, while others criticise way built, disruption communities, build quality of batches of houses , policy of housing problem tenants in them. estates in leeds have suffered high crime , poverty (such seacroft, gipton, belle isle , halton moor),

concrete council-built houses in seacroft