Whitelock's Ale House, City and Hunslet, Leeds

Summary

Public house, kitchens and stores, late C17/early C18 with late-C19 and early-C21 alterations, originally built as a row of tenement cottages and first established as a public house in 1715.

Description

Public house, kitchens and stores, late C17/early C18 with late-C19 and early-C21 alterations, originally built as a row of tenement cottages and first established as a public house in 1715.

MATERIALS: painted brick with painted-sandstone dressings. Slate roof coverings, unpainted brick chimneystacks.

PLAN: the buildings form a long linear range lying along the south side of Turk's Head Yard and are accessed via a narrow alleyway off Briggate to the east and a narrow L-shaped alleyway off Trinity Street to the west. They are bounded on three sides by adjoining buildings.

EXTERIOR: the eastern two-thirds of the range is of two-storeys, and the western section of three-storeys. The roofs are hidden from view and most of the range has bracketed eaves. Three ridge stacks survive to the two-storey section.

The main eight-bay section of the pub forms the eastern half of the range and has a series of five large, three-light and six-light windows to the ground floor framed by pilasters (painted black). The windows contain patterned leaded and stained glass; the patterned glazing to the two three light windows, which are located towards the eastern end, is only to the lower section of the windows and incorporates the words 'LUNCHEON/ BAR' and 'TURKS HEAD'. A plate-glass sash window at the far eastern end has similar patterned glazing with lettering to the lower sash reading 'BAR'. Above the windows and running across the full eight bays is a cornice and signage fascia (painted black) with painted lettering that reads: 'EST. 1715/ WHITELOCKS/ TURKS HEAD/ LUNCHEON & SNACKS'. Beneath all the ground-floor windows the brickwork is painted black in the style of a shopfront stallriser. Interspersed between the windows are two doorways to bays three and five; that to bay five forms the pub's main entrance and has a carved surround incorporating fluted pilasters and carved consoles supporting an entablature above. Both doorways have a three-panel door with a mirrored upper panel incorporating painted advertising lettering. Above the main entrance is a decorative cast-iron bracket with a replaced hanging lantern, and further decorative brackets exist along the elevation with modern ball lights. Round painted wall anchors denote the presence of tie bars internally and were added when the pub was extended. The first floor has a series of seven multipaned casement windows with simple moulded frames and a plate-glass sash window. Affixed to the building at first-floor level and traversing the yard is a large cast-iron sign with stylised gold lettering that reads: 'Whitelocks'.

A former brewhouse and two cottages lie immediately to the west of the pub and now form a kitchen and stores internally. To the ground floor are a series of windows and doorways; the doorways contain panelled doors with overlights and the windows, which are painted over, are of varying size, including a larger window with external shutters and ventilation grilles. It would appear that originally there was a single doorway and window to each bay, but one of the doorways has since been converted into a window. The doorway to the fourth bay has an engraved overlight with signage lettering that reads 'E HAWKINS/ ENGRAVER/ UPSTAIRS', and one of the other doorways has a door with an integral sash window (now painted over) to the upper section. To the first floor are four multipaned Yorkshire horizontal-sliding sash windows. Affixed to the front wall between the ground and first floors of both the brewhouse/cottage block and the neighbouring three-storey tenement block are simple cast-iron brackets supporting traditional-style lanterns.

The western end of the Whitelock's building range comprises a six-bay, three-storey block of three former tenement cottages. Like the range's middle block, to the ground floor there are doorways with panelled doors and overlights, and windows of varying size, some with original segmental-arched heads. One of the doorways forms the entrance to a bar created in 2015 and has a modern glazed overlight with lettering that reads: 'THE TURK'S HEAD'. To the first floor are a large multipaned casement window and six-over-six sash window, and a smaller two-over-two sash window; both of the sash windows have an exposed sash box indicative of an early date (Building Acts in 1709 and 1774 required sash boxes to be set back into masonry and brickwork to reduce fire risk). On the second floor there are wide casement and Yorkshire sliding sash windows and a blocked-up opening. Later brickwork at the top of the eastern part of the block indicates rebuilding or a raising of the roof to this section.

INTERIOR: internally the buildings are now interconnected at basement and first-floor levels, and also the western half of the ground floor. Some internal stairs have been removed and others appear to be later replacements.

The main ground-floor bar/dining room of Whitelock's is a long, narrow space with a decorative scheme that dates to 1895. Heavy timber ceiling beams exist to part of the space and are supported by a cast-iron column. The walls are panelled and mirrored, with many of the mirrors incorporating advertisements for food and drink on offer in the luncheon bar, and also manufacturers' advertisements. Fixed-bench seating exists along the front wall of the entire space and also along the rear wall in the dining area at the western end, which was formerly separated from the bar area by a curtain. Panelled and mirrored baffles incorporating barley-twist brass columns, which rise up to the ceiling, separate the space's seating areas and also flank the entrances, creating small vestibules. The bar/dining room has floorboard flooring, some partly concealed by carpet covering. Set in front of the rear wall and running for more than half the length of the space is a bar counter with a (now rare) decorative ceramic-tiled front (probably by Burmantofts) and an equally rare survival of a top of both copper and marble for both food and drink servery. The marble-topped section also incorporates brass serving racks with ornate brackets and a glass/pot washing sink, and above is a stained-glass sign that reads: 'LUNCHEON BAR'. Running along the rear wall behind is a mirrored bar back with timber shelving incorporating short barley-twist column supports that mirror the brass supports on the baffles. Behind the bar counter is a hatch access down into the cellar. The room's west wall is largely mirrored and incorporates a leaded and stained-glass internal sash window on the far right, which acts as a serving hatch into the neighbouring kitchen and remains in active use. The wall also incorporates a decorative leaded and stained-glass panel that reads: 'LUNCHEON BAR', which is a smaller version of that over the bar. Originally there was a chimneybreast and fireplace on this wall, but a chimneybreast was created on the rear wall as part of the 1895 refurbishment and retains its cast-iron fireplace.

A steep narrow stair in the south-east corner of the bar/dining room leads up to toilets (modernised) and the first-floor former dining room, which in turn provides access to the rest of the range. The former upper dining room has lost its original fixed-bench seating, which is depicted in a late-C19/early-C20 historic photograph, but retains its panelled and mirrored dado and a large cast-iron fireplace to the west wall with an original mirrored panel above. The simple roof-truss structure depicted in the photograph is now hidden by a later inserted ceiling. A wide doorway to the left of the fireplace with a simple moulded architrave, which led through into a neighbouring room has been boarded over, and a former serving hatch to the right is now a doorway that leads to a narrow corridor accessing the entire range. Floorboard floors on this upper level are largely hidden by later coverings and the spaces have generally been modernised.

At the western end of the range the three-storey former tenement cottages have been opened up on the two upper floors into a single large space, the dividing floor removed, a buff-brick internal skin installed to the lower part of the west wall, and a modern concrete support structure inserted. The ground-floor space below has also been opened up and contains a bar with an early-C21 interior. The rest of the ground floor spanning down to the main bar of Whitelock's comprises toilets, stores, and a commercial kitchen with servery hatch into the dining room.

The range's cellars are interconnected and have concrete floors. There are barrel-vaulted ceilings at the eastern end underneath the main bar, along with a barrel drop.

History

Whitelock's Ale House is one of several inns established on former medieval burgage plots in Leeds city centre during the C17 and C18 as the city began to develop and expand. These confined spaces sandwiched between other buildings are known as 'inn yards' and normally comprised an inn with adjoining cottages. Victorian redevelopment has led to the loss of a number of the yards, but a few still survive, including Turk's Head Yard off Briggate, Leeds’ main shopping street, in which Whitelock's Ale House sits.

The buildings in Turk's Head Yard are believed to have originally been constructed in the late C17/early C18 as tenement cottages, and the easternmost section of the range of buildings was first licensed in 1715. The inn came to be known as the Turk's Head, hence the name of the yard. In 1867 John Lupton Whitelock (1834-1896) became landlord and in the 1880s he bought the building, establishing what became known as Whitelock's First City Luncheon Bar. Whitelock’s son, William Henry Whitelock (1856-1909) subsequently became licensee and was later followed in turn by his sons Lupton Whitelock (1878-1941) and then Percy Whitelock (1889-1958).

In 1895 William Henry Whitelock carried out a programme of remodelling and refurbishment with Waite & Sons of Leeds as architects. The luncheon bar's restaurant/dining room was extended into the adjoining building, a kitchen with a serving hatch direct into the dining room was created, and the interior decorative scheme that survives today (2022) was installed. The refurbishment has previously been incorrectly dated to 1886, but original plan drawings confirm that it was undertaken in 1895. The building was reportedly the first in Leeds to have electric lighting and also an electric clock, and was later extended further to take in the entire range of buildings in Turk's Head Yard.

Lupton Whitelock (1878-1941), who became landlord in the early C20, was an internationally acclaimed flautist who played with numerous orchestras, including the Halle, and as a result in the 1930s and through into the 1960s the pub became the haunt of musicians, conductors, journalists, actors, artists, and academics, including Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Malcolm Sargent, John Betjemen, Peter O’ Toole, Jacob Kramer, as well as sporting figures such as Len Hutton. It was also frequented by visiting artistes at the Grand Theatre, including Dame Margot Fonteyn and Dame Anna Neagle, and in 1954-1955 the celebrated artist Maurice de Sausmarez produced his painting entitled 'Whitelocks', which depicts servers behind the bar.

In 1944 Whitelock's was sold out of the family to Scottish Brewers Ltd and has had various owners since this time. In 2015 the western end of the range, which had latterly been used as a function area, was refurbished into a bar known as the Turk’s Head. The two upper floors above (now - 2022 - a single space) are due to be converted into a function room.

Reasons for Listing

Whitelock's Ale House is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it is a very good example of a yard inn constructed on a narrow medieval burgage plot and evolved from a row of late-C17/early-C18 tenement cottages that retains clear evidence of its domestic origins;

* it is an important example of an earlier inn given a Victorian makeover of particularly high quality;

* it is a rare surviving late-C19 luncheon bar and is one of the best examples of its type;

* the highly atmospheric main bar and dining room retains its 1895 interior decorative scheme and a wealth of high-quality features, including fixed-bench seating, panelled baffles, brass barley-twist columns, stained-glass back-lit internal signage, plain and etched advertisement mirrors to the walls and ceiling beams, and a rare ceramic-tiled bar counter with a marble and copper top for a separate food and drink servery.

Historic interest:

* the long, narrow yard range provides important tangible evidence of the development of the city of Leeds from a small medieval township to a booming industrial city;

* it has been at the heart of Leeds' cultural and social life since the early C20 when it became the haunt of numerous figures from the arts worlds, and is the unique vision of the Whitelock family.

Group value:

* it has strong group value with the other listed commercial buildings along Briggate in reflecting the development of Leeds from the C17 through to the C20.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.