Temple Works: Grade I listed Leeds plant receives major financial boost to bring British Library North project to life Yorkshire News

Temple Works in Holbeck dates back to 1840 and is Grade I listed, but has sat empty for years amid uncertainty over the future of the old linen mill.

New grants from the Cultural Reclamation Fund will allow developers to go ahead with plans to turn the Egyptian-inspired building into the home of the British Library in the north.

Temple Works was bought in 2017 by property company CEG, who undertook to restore it, and was later earmarked as a suitable northern outpost for the British Library. CEG bought the site for just £1 at auction.

The new investment will help fund urgent repairs, as the mill has been derelict since it was last used as an arts center in 2009.

£636,000 from the Heritage Stimulus Fund will go towards work to make the roof secure, and £400,000 from the Yorkshire Regional Pot of Historic England will subsidize the restoration of Counting House, with its iconic Egyptian façade, so that to become a display room for British Library plans.

Temple Works was once one of the largest mills in the world, and its first owners, the Marshalls, brought sheep up to the roof to graze on the cultivated grass to keep moisture in the building, supposedly to prevent the flax from snapping, creating a show that attracted visitors. from everywhere.

The Counting House was the office used by managers, board members, and employees.

It has been on the Heritage At Risk registry since 2000.

Historic England Chief Executive Duncan Wilson said: “We are delighted to provide funding from the Historic England and Cultural Recovery Fund for the repair of Temple Works, an instantly recognizable building that was an important part of Leeds’ industrial past and is destined to play a key role in its future, it is exciting to see the possibilities of Temple Works take shape, highlighting the incredible potential of historic mills in Yorkshire to generate economic and social benefits for the region.”

British Library Chief Executive Roly Keating added: “We are delighted that the Cultural Recovery Fund and Historic England are providing vital funds to support urgent repairs to the historic Temple Works mill in Leeds. The British Library has high ambitions to expand and enrich our offering to the public across the North of England and this funding is not only an important step in securing the future of Temple Works, but also enables us to further explore the potential of the site as home to the British Library in Leeds”.

Leeds City Council has also invested £5 million in stabilization work as part of the building’s regeneration.

The last time it had a permanent occupant was about 20 years ago, when mail-order catalog company Kay & Co operated from the site.

The CEG developers intend to make the Temple Works a focal point for the broader revival of the South Bank area.