The Leas Club

The Leas Club

Purpose-built tea rooms, later converted to theatre, cafe and pub. The building was opened in 1902, designed by local architect Reginald Pope for Mr Frederick Ralph. It was modified in 1928 and has undergone minor later alterations. The principal front is constructed of terracotta, with the other elevations built in red brick.

The building comprises one storey and basement, with a seven-bay front of roughly rectangular form. Projecting end wings extend to the south, with attached walls enclosing a forecourt. The interior layout comprises small tearooms to the south with a billiard room underneath, and a large two-storey-high main tearoom to the north. Due to lease restrictions, only one floor is visible above ground behind a sunken forecourt.

The south entrance front is the most architecturally significant elevation. It is symmetrical and features an elaborate dentil cornice throughout, with a central enriched pediment decorated with dolphin motifs. Below this is an arched doorcase with keystone and pilasters, accompanied by an elaborate wrought iron overthrow and pair of gates. The door retains original Art Nouveau style stained glass with floral motifs. On each side of the main entrance are two bays with segmental arched windows and central narrow doors, all divided by pilasters. All windows and doors retain Art Nouveau style stained glass with floral motifs to their upper portions. An attached iron and glazed verandah, supported on large scrolled brackets and thin supports, runs across the front. A modern street-level canopy entrance has been added but is not of special interest.

The projecting wings feature two similar segmental arched windows with two doors each, while their south-facing ends have one segmental arched window. All windows and doors to the projecting wings retain their Art Nouveau style stained glass. Terracotta forecourt walls are attached to the sides of the building, comprising elaborate balustrading on retaining walls with central steps and side steps flanked by pairs of panelled piers, which originally held lamps.

The east side has nine window openings (one blocked) with terracotta lintels and mid-20th century metal-framed casements. The north side has one blocked opening with a terracotta lintel. The west side is similar, though it was largely concealed behind a fence at the time of inspection. From the interior, it is evident that all windows on this side were replaced in the 1930s or 1950s with metal-framed casements.

Internally, the central entrance leads into a vestibule with dentil cornice. On either side are doorcases with eared architraves featuring ovolo and bead and reel motifs and swag friezes to the overmantels. These lead into small tearooms on each side. The central doorcase opens into the main tearoom, which rises the full height of the building. The centre features a coved ceiling with patterns of diamonds and octagons, flanked by large coffered sections. An imperial staircase with turned balusters on the south side enters beneath a central segmental arch. The adjoining round-headed arches contain curved balconies beneath. The east and west sides have galleries supported on Tuscan columns, with further Tuscan columns to the arches above the gallery. The upper level originally had six round-headed arches to each side, but two were removed on each side and incorporated into larger arches to provide better sightlines when the building was converted to theatre use. The north side originally had a continuation of the gallery with one large central cambered arch flanked by smaller round-headed arches on each floor, with balustrading to the gallery, which was originally used by a small orchestra and vocalist. In 1928, the north gallery was replaced by a proscenium arch decorated with a central rosette and six triangular motifs.

The lower level south side contains a separate room, formerly a billiard room, which has a later suspended ceiling. Above this ceiling, some original plasterwork is likely to survive. This room has been subsequently panelled.

The Leas Club opened on 1st July 1902 as a teahouse called The Leas Pavilion, designed by local architect Reginald Pope for Mr Frederick Ralph. The site lay between two hotels on the east side of The Leas, which held long leases from the Radnor Estate with an "ancient lights" clause preventing any construction that would obstruct light to their windows. Consequently, the building was constructed with only one storey visible above ground, featuring a flat roof but a full-height basement. The contractor was Castle and Co, with an overall cost of £10,000. The building was opened by Lord Radnor.

The teahouse was fully licensed and operated at high prices, with a covenant in the lease requiring that lessees "use the room for the highest class tea and refreshment trade with the view to securing the best class of visitors only". A ladies orchestra, often joined by a vocalist, was seated at the far end of the gallery. In 1906, a concert party was introduced on a makeshift stage below the gallery. During the First World War, farewell concerts were held for troops before they embarked for France. Concert parties continued after the war until 1928, when a proper stage was constructed at the far end of the hall, allowing for plays and tea matinees. The building flourished as a repertory theatre called the Leas Pavilion Theatre for 57 years until September 1985. It reopened as the Leas Club in March 1986 and has since been operated as a cafe and pub with live music venues.