Block To East Of Thoresby Building With Attached Railings

LEEDS

SE3033NW GREAT GEORGE STREET 714-1/76/440 (South West side) 05/08/76 No.2 Block to east of Thoresby Building with attached railings (Formerly Listed as: WOODHOUSE LANE (South West side) City of Leeds School)

GV II

School, now offices, with walls and railings to rear former playground. 1889. By Birchall and Kelly with alterations probably by William Landless. Converted to offices 1994-95 by Leeds Design Consultancy. Red brick, stone dressings, wrought-iron railings. Classical style. 3 storeys, attic and basement; 7 bays, the central 3 and the outer bays break forward, 2 and 3 windows to each bay. Giant Ionic pilasters to ground and 1st floors supporting entablature with small windows in frieze and heavy modillion cornice, full-height windows to storey above, cornice and parapet with iron grilles in open rectangular panels. Central porch with paired Ionic columns supporting entablature with balustrade above, rusticated round arch doorway. Plate-glass sashes throughout. Similar side and rear elevations. West elevation now has principal entrance in C20 extension. INTERIOR: not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: playground walls and railings: brick walling with 6 giant square-section stone piers, paired gates and railings with pointed finials between, along Rossington Street (N) and Great George Street (S), railings along W boundary with Thoresby House (qv). HISTORICAL NOTE: the first school purpose-built for higher grade pupils by Leeds School Board, it was completed under the supervision of the recently appointed architect to the Board, William Landless, who appears to have been responsible for the modification to the design in order to accommodate more pupils, a total of 2,500. The pedimented outer and central bays were replaced by an extra storey and the parapeted flat roof provided a girls' playground. Opened by the School Board Chairman, Sir George Cockburn, on 28 June 1889, in 1902 it was renamed the Leeds Central High School and in 1905 was the first Municipal Secondary School in Yorkshire. In 1909 it became a boys' school, the girls being transferred to the former Pupil Teachers' Centre immediately downhill to the W,

Thoresby House (qv). It was renamed the City of Leeds School in 1928. (Williams, D (B Arch thesis, Leeds Polytechnic): Leeds School Board and its Architecture: 1975-: 35; The Palm- magazine of the Woodhouse Lane Central High School: Golden Jubilee Number, Midsummer 1935).

Listing NGR: SE3003133977