Former Fire Station - Leeds, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 48.655 W 001° 33.401
30U E 595033 N 5963449
This building was a combined fire station, police station and library and is now a pub called The Library.
Waymark Code: WMV84W
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/12/2017
Views: 0
The building is a Historic England Grade II Listed building. At the time it was listed in 1976 the pub was called the Feast and Firkin. The listing has the following text.
"Police and fire station and public library, now public house and brewery, with attached gate piers and gates. Dated 1901, converted c1994. Possibly by WH Thorp. Red brick, Bradford stone dressings, granite columns, green Westmorland slate roof, lead covered dome. In Italianate style, a prominent corner site of 2 storeys with a 2-stage corner tower and single-storey library entrance. The main block is of 5 bays, 3:2:2:2:3 windows, flat-arched with small pediments and round-arched, plate-glass sashes; the left (tower) bay projects. 9-panel doors under triangular pediments bays 1 and 5, both with round-arched flanking windows; central bay has an elaborate arched and traceried 4-light window to ground floor the keystone carved with pick-axe and hoses, olive boughs in the spandrels. It is flanked by 2 orders of paired columns, the ground floor Ionic, the 1st floor Corinthian, supporting wide segmental pediment surmounted by large coat of arms. Modillion eaves cornice, balustraded parapet with urns, small domed bellcote/ventilator to ridge. Tower: the 1st stage is square with Ionic pilasters, narrow round-arched windows, cornice and balustraded parapet, from which rises octagonal stage with clock face, composite pilasters at angles supporting modillion cornice with elliptical pediments with arched niche at heads, lead-clad dome. Far right: the single-storey range is set back and has replacement 8-panel doors flanked by cross windows, the keystones carved with putti masks; Tuscan columns supporting a semicircular porch, the words 'FREE LIBRARY' and paired putti with a plaque dated 1901; balustraded parapet and urns. Left return, to Clarendon Road: 4 bays, 2 storeys with attics, a 6-panel door to bay 2 with large overlight and triangular pediment on console brackets, canted bay window left with bolection moulding and blocking course, paired round-arched
windows right, segmental pedimented stone dormers. INTERIOR: not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached pair of gate piers with gates left: approx 3m, octagonal, roll-moulded capstones; wrought-iron 2-leaf and pedestrian gates, cusped motifs to rails. The police station was opened on 12 March 1902, the building having cost »6201. The building was closed in 1932 and converted to Social Services premises. The gateway leads to the rear yard area and was part of the reservoir complex. The building is in the style of WH Thorp who designed other police stations in the city. (Leeds Local History Library: History of the Police Force in Leeds)."
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