Leeds Central Library

An architectural detail on Calverley Street

In 2018, apart from the field trips with the Sheffield U3A Geology Group, most of my days out involved visits to places that I had been to before - such as Pontefract Castle. Being on a limited budget and relying on a travel pass that enables me to use public transport in South Yorkshire and direct trains from here to West Yorkshire, I was beginning to run out of ideas. 

A general view of Leeds Central Library

Following a discussion of architectural sculpture on Twitter, relating to  photographs that I had previously provided for the National Monuments Record, I was recommended to visit Leeds Central Library. I have visited Leeds several times over the years – recently to see Kirkstall Abbey and Roundhay Park - but I have never had reason to examine the historic buildings in the city centre in detail. Discovering that an exhibition of stone sculpture at the adjoining Art Gallery was about to come to an end, I took advantage of a sunny Friday to explore this prosperous city.

A view of the Calverley Street elevation

“There is nothing finer in architectural effort in the whole of Leeds than the central hall of the building” is how the Leeds Municipal Offices were described by The Yorkshireman, when it opened in 1884. Housing various administrative departments, as well as a reading room, lending library and reference library, it has been altered over the years, but it still retains its essential character, with materials and workmanship of the highest quality. 

The Calverley Street entrance

Built in an Italianate style, the exterior is built of Upper Carboniferous sandstone – coarse Millstone Grit for the lower courses and finer grained sandstone from the Pennine Coal Measures Group for the ashlar. It is extremely difficult to determine the precise provenance of the various sandstones used in West Yorkshire – due to the vast number of quarries that once supplied stone in this region – and the publications available to me have conflicting opinions. 

The Building Stone Heritage of Leeds

From the outside, the building didn't look very special to me but, entering the library from Calverley Street, the Shap granite steps and the Peterhead granite columns are just a taste of the wide variety of stones that are used for ornamentation in its interior.

Light Shap granite used for the main entrance steps