Crispin House

Crispin House is a former clothing factory, built between 1914 and 1916, with an extension added in 1926. It occupies a corner site and was originally used for manufacturing orthopaedic footwear. The building is constructed of red brick with white faience dressings, likely from Marmo, and has a roof that is not visible. It is four storeys high with a basement, consisting of 17 bays, including a corner bay and three bays facing North Street. An additional five-storey, six-bay block is situated at the eastern end.

The main corner entrance features glazed double doors and pilasters with decorated Ionic capitals, dividing bays that are almost entirely glazed. A clock is located on the second floor, and the corner is crowned with a dome supported by a low wall with paired windows, a dentilled cornice, a metal-clad dome, and a bud finial. Bays 7 and 17 have entrances with large circular overlights; the door and window lintels are made of Marmo, and there's a moulded string course acting as segmental hoods over the doorways. The right-hand entrance bay incorporates pilasters on the upper floors and small rectangular and round windows.

Large windows are present on each floor, while segmental-arched basement windows are paired with rectangular ground floor and first-floor windows. The second floor features segmental heads with three 'keystones,' extending to the sills of the square third-floor windows, all using metal pivoted frames. A dentilled cornice, blocking course, and parapet with blocking pieces over the entrances, along with a geometric metal balustrade, complete the exterior.

The rear elevation, facing Trafalgar Street, mirrors the front, with Marmo used only for keystones and the cornice; an entrance is located on the right. The 1926 extension is in a matching style, with the entrance bay being wider and featuring triple windows on the upper floors. The building’s interior has not been inspected.

Historical records, including a detailed description in the Yorkshire Post’s Tercentenary Supplement of July 1926, reveal that the factory was built employing modern fire-proof construction techniques with a floor space of 5,000 square yards. The basement contained a canteen, cutting, sewing, pressing rooms, stock, and showroom spaces. The firm, initially a small wholesale clothing business, evolved to employ over 700 people by 1926, with a further 300 in the extension, and had international representatives. The factory was initially used to produce clothing for the Army and Navy. The building is a significant example of Leeds’ connection to the textile trade in the early 20th century.