Henry Price Residence

University Hall of Residence, 1964

The Henry Price Residence is a university hall of residence designed in 1964 by the architectural practice Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, with Christof Bon as the lead architect. Structural engineers Flint and Neill were responsible for the structural design.

The building is constructed of load-bearing brick with cavity walls, concrete floors, and a concrete-slated timber roof. The windows are replacements in grey aluminium frames.

The Plan and Setting

The building is extremely long and narrow, consisting of 27 bays across six floors, aligned north-northeast to south-southwest. A significant feature is that it is raised above the pre-existing stone wall of St Georges Fields, the former Leeds General Cemetery (Grade II Listed), which runs the entire length of the building. The brick walls are supported on concrete pillars with cantilevers and float just above the stone wall. Concrete floors extend across the full width of the building, with concrete infills below the windows. The stone wall is positioned towards the rear along the long axis.

At the north end stands a separate stair tower in concrete and glass, topped by a pyramidal concrete water tank.

Exterior Details

The elevation facing St Georges Fields includes a covered walkway at ground floor level alongside the stone wall, pierced by four entrances, each with a glazed door and full-height side window. Windows on the five upper floors are aluminium-framed with fixed top and bottom lights and generally two horizontally pivoting centre lights. Above the entrances, recessed windows form a ladder pattern in the stairwells with landings between floors. The brick pillars flanking the stairwells are wider than those elsewhere. The sixth floor is not visible from this elevation, being covered by the pitched roof.

The road-facing elevation has ground floor storage spaces for waste bins and washing areas, with some enclosed office space and entrance lobbies to five staircases (added in 2007). Cantilevered concrete cross beams project forward, supporting brick pillars joined by windows that rise to the fifth floor. Windows here are similar to those on the St Georges Fields elevation, except those beside stairwells which have three lights. Alternate brick pillars are pierced by narrow single windows. The top floor is set back behind a section of pitched roof.

The south end elevation is brick with an asymmetric gable end. The end of the stone wall is visible here, supporting the upper floors alongside steel and concrete columns. Each of the five upper floors has a central window similar to those on the east and west elevations, with a small slit window alongside.

The north stair tower is trapezoid in plan, with alternating bands of concrete and glass, stepped on the west side and topped by a pyramidal concrete water tank. The stairs were originally open-sided, and the glass is a later addition.

Interior

Each of the five sets of concrete stairs leads to a pair of flats on each floor, arranged along a central corridor with a fire escape door at the far end. The stairs have terrazzo floors and metal balusters with wooden handrails, with walls painted white on exposed brick. The flats are self-contained units, generally comprising eight single rooms with a shared living room and kitchen. Each pair of rooms shares a wet-room shower and toilet with access from both sides. Original built-in furniture survives in the bedrooms; the kitchen and living areas have been refurbished and extended by incorporating a former bedroom.

Historical Context

Leeds University began as the Yorkshire College of Science in 1877, became part of Victoria University in 1887, and achieved independence as a university in 1904. It expanded throughout the twentieth century, with campus buildings by successive architects including Alfred Waterhouse.

In 1956, the university undertook a limited competition to appoint new architects for future development. Chamberlin, Powell and Bon won this competition and were appointed in 1959. They produced a Development Plan for the new campus based on interviews with staff and flow charts of student movements through the precinct. Published in 1960 and revised in 1963, this plan offered a model for the study of university campuses throughout the 1960s. The realisation of the masterplan was only ever partial and was modified several times.

Two residential blocks, Charles Morris Hall and Henry Price Residence, were completed in 1964 and 1965 respectively, intended as the first of an extended provision of accommodation close to the university. CPB determined that city-centre location offered advantages: the extra transport costs and need for more facilities away from the main campus offset the extra cost of city-centre land, and an integrated approach would benefit community building. Further residential accommodation was planned between the main campus and the Henry Price Residence, but this was halted by a planning appeal in 1975 which established a Conservation Area covering surviving terraced houses. This portion of the masterplan was consequently restricted to the two residential buildings.

The Henry Price Residence was originally designed two bays shorter than finally built. The stair block and water tank at the north end were later additions to the plan. A major refurbishment took place in 2007-8.