Yeadon Town Hall
| Yeadon Town Hall | |
|
Yorkshire | |
|---|---|
 Yeadon Town Hall in June 2018 | |
| Type: | Town hall |
| Location | |
| Location: | 53°51’58"N, 1°41’6"W |
| Town: | Yeadon |
| History | |
| Built 1880 | |
| By: | William Hill |
| Town hall | |
| Information | |
| Website: | yeadontownhall.co.uk |
Yeadon Town Hall is a municipal building in Yeadon in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is Grade-II listed.[1]
History
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] 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[5] 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.[6] After Aireborough Urban District Council was abolished, responsibility for the management of the building was transferred to Leeds City Council in 1974.[7]
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.[8] The main assembly hall, which seats up to 560 people, was renovated in 1999.[9]
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.[10] The town hall continues to host touring music and theatre shows[11] although the highlight of the year is usually the Christmas Spectacular.[12]
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.[13]
References
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Yeadon Town Hall) |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 National Heritage List 1204098: Town Hall, Yeadon
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lovedale, Christine. "Yeadon Town Hall 1800 - 2014". Aireborough Historical Society. https://www.aireboroughhistoricalsociety.co.uk/memories/yeadon-town-hall.aspx.
- ↑ Lovedale, Christine. "William Starkey 1801-1879". Aireborough Historical Society. https://www.aireboroughhistoricalsociety.co.uk/yeadon/starkey--william-1879.aspx.
- ↑ Price, Roy (June 1980). A History of Yeadon. Yeadon: Maple-Bowes.
- ↑ "Yeadon Urban District Council, building plans, 1923-1937". National Archives. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/f5681ab4-ae95-44a9-93ba-40070d8a8e03.
- ↑ "Aireborough Council (First) 1937". Aireborough Historical Society. https://www.aireboroughhistoricalsociety.co.uk/rawdon/first-aireborough-council-1937.aspx.
- ↑ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ↑ "The Beiderbecke Affair (1985)". IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086668/locations.
- ↑ "Yeadon Town Hall". Leeds, Live it, Love it. http://www.leedsliveitloveit.com/visitors/places-to-go~page/yeadon-town-hall.
- ↑ "Community take over set to bring Yeadon Town Hall back to life". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 April 2019. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/community-take-over-set-bring-yeadon-town-hall-back-life-483952.
- ↑ "Yeadon Town Hall". Welcome to Yorkshire. https://www.yorkshire.com/view/attractions/leeds/yeadon-town-hall-2124709.
- ↑ "Christmas Spectacular at Yeadon Town Hall". Wharfedale and Craven Mumbler. https://wharfedale.mumbler.co.uk/christmas-spectacular-at-yeadon-town-hall/.
- ↑ "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. https://yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/people/leeds-town-hall-organ-finds-new-home-thanks-to-recycling-project-3564884.
