Tower Works Engine House

LEEDS

SE2933SE GLOBE ROAD, Holbeck 714-1/77/841 (North side (off)) 05/08/76 Tower Works Engine House (Formerly Listed as: LEEDS 11 GLOBE ROAD Boilerhouse to north of the Giotto Tower at Tower Works)

GV II

Engine house, now storage and television repair workshop. 1899. Probably by William Bakewell for TW Harding, chairman of the Tower Works, medallions designed by Alfred Drury. Red brick, English bond 1:3, stone gable copings, roof not visible. East end: tall round-arched window, lower part altered to loading door, stone sill, foundation stone with eroded inscription: '...T.W.HARDING ESQRE.J.P./ LORD MAYOR OF LEEDS/ (CHAIR)MAN OF THE COMPANY/ JU(NE) 25th 18(99)...' Doorway right, brick wedge lintel. West end: round-arched recess of glazed bricks, the infill having glazed brick bands. Right return: 3 shallow buttresses with stone caps approx 3m high. Contemporary ranges to south not included. INTERIOR: remains of mosaic floor in red, black and white abstract patterns; walls lined with cream tiles, 5 arcades to each side decorated with brown moulded tiles to dado, impost bands and arches; each recess contains a circular glazed ?bronze plaque with a portrait in relief of a person connected with the manufacture of textile machinery. Lettering on plaques in relief, right, from east end: 'T.R.HARDING/ FOUNDER OF TOWER WORKS/ 1866; T.W.HARDING/ FIRST CHAIRMAN/ 1895; JOSUE HEILMANN/ THE COMBING MACHINE; (obscured)/ SPINNING AND CARDING; ...EL LAWSON/ ...LEY'S SCREW C....'. Lettering, left, from east end: '(RICHARD) ARKWRIGHT/ (obscured); DR.E.CARTWRIGHT/ THE (COMB)ING MACHINE; (obscured)/ (P)OWER LOOM; (obscured)/ THE COMBING MACHINE; (obscured) THE COMBING MACHINE'. Inserted floor, partitions and ceiling obscures plaques, some damaged; names not visible are: Holden, Lister, Donisthorpe amd Fairbairn. William Bakewell was employed to design the extensions to the works in 1899, and in 1902 produced the designs for the City Square, the responsibility of Colonel Harding. Alfred Drury was also commissioned by Harding to design the statues of 'Night' and 'Morn' (qqv) for the City Square, redesigned at this time. The building is a very fine example of the standard of elaboration and workmanship frequently expended on the housing for steam engines in factories and mills throughout the C19. For historical details on the firm of TW Harding see Tower Works Entrance range (qv).

Listing NGR: SE2955233031