Britannia Buildings

Britannia Buildings is a Grade II listed office building located in Leeds, constructed in 1868, likely designed by Charles Fowler. The building is made of brick in English bond with a slate roof and showcases Gothic Revival architectural style. It stands three storeys high over a basement and features three bays with a configuration of 3:2:3 first-floor windows. The central entrance has original panelled doors set within a pointed arch, flanked by paired attached columns, with the name 'BRITANNIA BUILDINGS' carved above. The windows are supported by slender columns with foliate caps, featuring stone pointed arches; the plate-glass sashes are slightly recessed, with two lights in the center and three lights on either side. Gables adorn the end bays, each with small quatrefoil openings, and a similar design is found on the short center parapet, which projects over a small canopy between the central window, possibly intended for a statue plinth. The interior has not been inspected. Historically, Charles Fowler was an engineer and surveyor who published a plan of Leeds in 1819 and was recognized as an architect by 1845. His firm was located in Britannia Buildings from 1867, which is noted as the first purpose-built block of office chambers in Leeds.