Former Leeds Public Dispensary with Forecourt Railings and Gates, City and Hunslet, Leeds

Summary

Former Leeds Public Dispensary, of 1865-1867, by William Hill in Italianate style.

Description

Former Leeds Public Dispensary, of 1865-1867, by William Hill in Italianate style.

Formerly Listed as: NEW BRIGGATE (South side) No 74 Leeds Chest Clinic and No 74 Leeds Chest Clinic with forecourt railings and gates.

MATERIALS: red brick, stone dressings, hipped slate roof.

PLAN: rectangular on plan.

EXTERIOR: the two storey building occupies a prominent corner site at the junction of Vicar Lane and North Street, with rounded corners to the east and square angle buttresses to the west. The north and west elevation, facing the main roads, have an ashlar and moulded stone plinth, a first-floor moulded and heavily dentilled plat band and brick pilasters rising to a heavy stone modillion cornice and balustraded parapet. Both have round-headed windows with decoratively moulded arches and string bands running through the window imposts and first floor sills. The parapet is broken by brick piers with large arched and pedimented capstones ornamented with moulded square banded and half fluted ball finials and urns. Each pier face is decorated with blind moulded arch niches or pilasters. The arched windows contain two-over-two sash windows, with glazed arches. There is a large brick stack to the north, west of centre and below the roof ridge, and two stacks to the west (all with brick moulded caps).

The main elevation (north) is now asymmetrical and of six bays, with the three western bays containing three ground and first floor windows. The three eastern bays form a slightly projecting entrance bay (which was formerly central in the original nine-bay frontage). The ground floor has two windows either side of an entrance portico with two pairs of Corinthian columns supporting a heavy entablature and a balustrade forming a balcony to a first-floor window above. The first floor has three windows, the central with a recessed and decorated round arch. Attached to the west side of the building is a three-bay single-storey outbuilding, with three sunk blind panels with brick lintel décor. The central panel contains a C20 door. The left return (east), rebuilt in the 1900s, is of five bays arranged with 1:3:1 windows, with re-set mid-C19 decorative stone masonry. The central three bays project slightly forward with square stone columns to the ground floor window mullions and simple brick mullions to the first. Its parapet has a pedimented ashlar pier topped by an urn. The south and west elevation are much plainer. The south elevation (facing Merrion Place) is of six bays with segmental arched windows to ground and first floor and squat square-headed windows to the third floor, all with stone sills. There is a moulded stone lintelled arched door in the third bay to the east, with a large segmental arch top light above. The west elevation has an asymmetrical arrangement of four central windows north of a first floor emergency door and metal staircase, with an external off-set chimney stack to the south.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: a railed forecourt extends across the north elevation from the single-storey west outbuilding around the corner to the right pilaster on the left (east) return; approximately 1.5m in height. It comprises a low stone wall with moulded coping, which steps down with the eastward declining slope of the ground, and thick wrought iron rails with alternate ball and spearhead finials, with octagonal standards with cornice and ball finials supported by scrolled brackets on the inner side. The entrance portico is accessed by a two-leaf gate, similar in style to the railings, with massive square-section piers, that are approximately 1.5m high, decorated with a dentilled cornice and shallow pyramidal and arched pier cap.

Listing NGR: SE 30414 33915
Legacy System number: 466104

History

Dispensaries were established as charitable institutions to dispense medicines and provide medical advice for the poorer and more vulnerable members of society without admission to hospital. By the early-C19 a new system of medical provision was established by subscription and care was accordingly prioritised between subscribers and charity patients. The service was provided for free or for a small charge and formed an essential part of healthcare provision until the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948.

The Leeds Public Dispensary (established 1824) was purpose built between 1865 and 1867 to replace premises in the House of Recovery on Vicar Lane and 123 North Street. It was designed by William Hill and opened on 6 June 1867 by Sir Andrew Fairburn. The original design comprised a symmetrical nine bay north elevation, with three central bays slightly projecting forward to form a main entrance bay with a central portico. The left (east) return was of seven bays, with three bays projecting forward, and square angle buttresses to the corners. William Hill was articled to Perkin and Backhouse and set up practice in 1851 in Leeds. The practice designed a range of public buildings, Nonconformist chapels and private residences, including the Grade II*-listed Bolton Town Hall (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) 1388295), Grade II-listed Hertford Corn Exchange and Public Hall (NHLE 1268936) and Leeds Methodist New Connexion chapel (NHLE 1255652).

In 1900 the Leeds Corporation proposed widening the street, which necessitated the demolition of the west wing of the dispensary but provided the opportunity to build a new dispensary further north on North Street. The dispensary relocated in 1904 and between 1908 and 1910 the eastern block of the old dispensary (three by seven bays) was demolished. The east elevation of the truncated building was re-built to match the previous design, using the original stone masonry, but in five bays with rounded corners rather than seven. It became the premises for the Universal Insurance Company Ltd and then the Leeds Central Tuberculosis Clinic and later Leeds Chest Clinic. In the late C20 the building was not in use, but in 2009 the ground floor was converted to commercial premises and in 2011 the first floor into seven flats.

Reasons for Listing

The former Leeds Public Dispensary, built in 1865-1867, by William Hill is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* an elaborate and accomplished design for a public dispensary funded by subscription;
* by the well-regarded and noted C19 architect, William Hill.

Historic interest:

A mid-C19 example of the dispensary movement which informs our understanding of C19 health care provision.

Group value:

* the building benefits from a spatial group value with a range of listed buildings within the area, including Centenary House (the replacement C20 public dispensary), the Grand Arcade and Crispin House.

External Links

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