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A huge milestone has been achieved has been reached in the history of the First White Cloth Hall, credited as the birthplace of the modern city of Leeds, with the completion of the building works to reconstruct the building.
The project, led by Leeds-based developer Rushbond, in partnership with Historic England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Leeds City Council, is now set for a new lease of life, reports Insider Media.
The history of the First White Cloth Hall is aligned with the modern history of Leeds. It was quickly built in 1711 to provide the first covered hall for cloth trading in the town of Leeds before it had achieved city status.
It spearheaded both the commercial growth of Kirkgate, the city’s oldest commercial street, and a huge drive in the growth of the textile industry.
Architects from Buttress Architects and construction firm HH Smith & Sons, both based in Manchester, worked closely with the project’s partners and Leeds Civic Trust. The building has now been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register on which it was listed for more than 20 years.
The work involved restoring and reinstalling the 500-year-old timber trusses that support the roof, and a unique pattern of brick bonding – the pattern created by bricks when used to construct a wall – has been replicated in the new brickwork on the building’s west wing.
The building consists of three ranges around a courtyard that opens onto the street. The ground floor has arches on each side, originally open, and the upper floor has three large rooms, originally used for trading cloth.
The building was in such a poor state that both the west and south wings needed to be completely rebuilt, ensuring that as much of the original construction materials were used as possible, and the courtyard has been glazed over to create a covered space.
Jonathan Maud, managing director of Rushbond, said: “It’s a momentous occasion to be able to reveal the building as we look forward to hearing from companies and organisations that are equally inspired by the new opportunity the building now offers”
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