Headingley Taps Public House

The Headingley Taps Public House is a former pumping station built between 1879 and 1880, which was converted into a public house in 1993-1994. It was constructed for the Leeds Corporation Waterworks and features rock-faced ashlar stone with a steep-pitched slate roof. The building has an E-plan layout, with a long, lower range running parallel to Bennett Road and three gabled wings, the central wing being smaller and set back, facing the yard on North Lane.

The outer gables include a central entrance with a boarded door and an inscription above, set under a hoodmould adorned with a coat of arms. Flanking this entrance are tall lancet windows, and above it is a mullion and transom window with three stepped lights. The gables are designed in a Dutch style, complete with finials, although the finial on the right is missing. There are also louvred ventilators topped with a pyramidal roof and a wrought-iron finial. The rear of the building features a seven-window range with shaped dormers and Dutch end gables.

The interior has not been inspected, but it is believed that the two large wings originally housed the pumping engines. Notably, the lofty chimney mentioned in a 1905 directory no longer exists. The construction of this pumping station was part of the 1867 Leeds Waterworks Act, which led to the creation of three reservoirs in the Washburn valley and seven filter beds at Weetwood. Water that could not reach the town by gravity was pumped from this station to high-service reservoirs at Moortown and Bramley.