Former Leeds workhouse casual ward, including work sheds and boundary treatments

Summary

A workhouse casual ward including separate work sheds, of 1901, by T Winn and Sons and built largely of hard red brick, with buff sandstone dressings and slate roofs. The façade is in a loose Jacobean Revival style and the main building has segregated blocks for men and women.

Only the main building, two work sheds to the east and some associated boundary treatments are included in the listing. The earlier stable and coach-house to the east of the work sheds are excluded from the listing.

Reasons for Designation

The former Leeds workhouse casual ward, a complex for receiving vagrants of 1901, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it is a relatively rare survival and unusually complete as a complex. It retains all of its buildings, including the sheds and laundry where required manual tasks were done, and a disinfector room;
* the function of the buildings remains highly legible, for example in the typical form of the females block with its characteristic clerestory, the surviving (blocked) small window openings of the male sleeping cells with air-vents, and the intact disinfector room;
* it has good-quality decorative detailing, particularly to the street frontage and house but also to the laundry, and with stone and terracotta dressings to the more utilitarian facades.

Historic interest:

* it is an eloquent witness to the quasi-penal way homeless and itinerant people were historically treated and provided for. This is most notable through the survival of solitary female sleeping cells, a work shed with bay windows for surveillance and a disinfector room for treating inmates’ clothes;
* it has a strong association with the social campaigner Julia Varley who in 1904 stayed here incognito on her first two nights posing as a vagrant in order to investigate conditions in casual wards. The connection is particularly manifest in the surviving white-tiled interior Varley described;
* the legible alterations to the footprint and planform of the males block illustrate the development of provision of this service towards the end of the period when this was a local responsibility, and into the era of the National Health Service.

Group value:

* it is an important addition to the Leeds Workhouse complex (making discrete provision for a function that was previously integral) and thus having a strong historical functional relationship with the other surviving elements of that complex that are listed, comprising the workhouse (NHLE entry 1256272), chapel (NHLE entry 1256267), and mental wards (NHLE entry 1256271).

History

After 1834 neighbouring parishes were required to work together to efficiently provide shared workhouses. From 1837, these ‘union’ workhouses had to accommodate vagrants, but could require them to work in return. The Leeds Poor Law Union built an ‘industrial school’ (effectively, a workhouse for children) in 1848 (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1256275), and in 1858 added a new workhouse next to it (NHLE entry 1256272). A chapel was also built in 1858 (NHLE entry 1256267), and mental wards were added in 1862 (NHLE entry 1256271).

'Casual wards' were common elements of workhouses, providing limited support for vagrants and itinerant workers, but they are now relatively rare survivals. Cellular plans for casual wards were developed from around 1870 as an improvement on earlier dormitories, and remained the system set out in local government board specifications for casual wards until after the First World War.

Plans of 1893 indicate that the Leeds workhouse casual ward was originally in the north-east corner of the main building of 1858, with cells for vagrants, and a range of cells for tramps against the site boundary wall, which included stone-breaking compartments. By 1900 the workhouse had also built a shed in the north-west corner of its site, for wood-chopping and oakum-picking by the casuals (this shed abutted a slightly earlier stable and coach-house block, to its east, which was later adapted for garage use and is not included in the listing).

The new casual ward of the workhouse was built in 1901, and was designed by T Winn and Sons, who designed several other buildings for the workhouse (few of which now survive). The new ward was sited to the west of the earlier shed and a new wood-sawing shed was also built to the south of the oakum-picking shed. The ward was sited within the workhouse’s grounds, but deliberately away from the resident population. The ward provided a females block with 10 sleeping cells and a laundry and wash-house for their work, and a males block, with a ground floor of 20 sleeping cells with stone-breaking cells facing onto a stone-yard, and first floor with a further 20 sleeping cells. Each of these blocks included indoor lavatories. These blocks were linked by a gender-segregated reception block with rooms for waiting, examination and bathing, and a discrete receiving officer’s house. A disinfector room projected to the north (the high temperatures in the disinfector’s oven often damaged the clothes, which was known as ‘stoving’).

An undercover visit to the establishment was made in 1904 by Julia Varley OBE (1871-1952), trade unionist, former Poor Law Guardian (that is, member of a board responsible for running workhouses), and later suffrage campaigner. Leeds was the first casual ward she experienced in her undercover tramp from Bradford to Liverpool. She described the recently-built casual ward’s ‘imposing frontage’ and the white glazed-brick internal walls of the females block. The female tasks she reported here included general cleaning, black-leading the grate running the length of their block, and working in the laundry.

Demand rose, and by 1908, the chopping shed had become a dormitory for 50 (one more than allowed in the space by regulations), and the sawing shed had been divided to sleep 29 and provide a dayroom for 38. In 1930 the workhouse and what had become St James’s Hospital were transferred to the supervision of the City of Leeds Public Assistance Committee, and in 1931 plans were made to alter the casual ward. The males block was adapted, following the abolishing of stone-breaking, to provide more sleeping cells. This was done by extending the two parallel ranges slightly towards each other, with two storeys of sleeping cells replacing the former single-storey stone-breaking cells, narrowing what had been the stone-yard.

In 1944 the workhouse was absorbed into the hospital and by 1947 the city’s Social Welfare Committee made plans to adapt the building as a ‘casuals reception centre’ – essentially, a shelter for the homeless. This involved doubling the width of the bedrooms in the males block (which was implemented), and altering the plan form of the reception and females block to provide new reception rooms, dayrooms and dining rooms (which was not implemented). The ward still formed part of the hospital when the principal buildings were listed, in 1974. From the late-C20 the ward building was used by services for children’s psychiatry. The buildings closed around 2020 and (in 2025) remain disused.

Details

A workhouse casual ward including separate work sheds, of 1901, by T Winn and Sons.

MATERIALS: hard red brick, with buff sandstone dressings and slate roofs (concrete tiles to extensions).

PLAN: an approximate E plan, facing west onto Gledhow Road with three rear wings; two work sheds to the east abut an earlier stable and coach-house (which is not included).

EXTERIOR: in a loose Jacobean revival style. The front façade comprises a two-storey receiving officer’s house at the left, with central, single-storey reception block and single-storey females block to the right. The house has a narrow entrance bay and wider main bay, both gabled, with a ground-floor canted bay window. The gables have shaped apexes and kneelers, and there are sill-and-lintel bands to the first floor, and a cornice band to the ground floor. The reception block to the right has a projecting entrance with curved angles (lit), and doorways inscribed above MALES and FEMALES, with blocked pilasters and a cornice band with segmental lintels.

Each door is approached by a flight of eight stone steps with flanking walls and ramped copings, retaining the cast-iron bases of lanterns. Between the doorways is a foundation stone dated 1901. Above the doorways is a brick parapet with short pilasters and a moulded coping, and a truncated gable with shaped kneelers and the words CASUAL WARDS in brick relief. The entrance is flanked by two-light windows to the sick rooms. To the right is a projecting females ward (thought to be a day room) with three windows. All of the ground-floor windows have carved lintels. Set back to the right, the females block has eight small windows lighting the sleeping cells, below a modillion eaves cornice, and is lit by a clerestory at the ridge with four two-light mullioned windows. The ward and receiving officer’s house have corniced chimney stacks.

The north façade is of the same materials, with brick modillion eaves, and comprises the two-storey north range of the males block, with the receiving officer’s house at the right. A two-storey lavatory block (connected by a narrow corridor) projects from the cell range. Also projecting, at the junction of the two parts, is the single-storey block for disinfecting and drying the inmates’ clothes, with a chimney stack running up the first-floor façade. A later flat-roofed conservatory-porch fills the angle between the disinfecting block and the house. Some large window openings have been inserted in the main façade, but many original openings survive (some blocked) and the locations of the altered sleeping-cell windows are marked by remaining sills and lintels. Some sleeping-cell ventilation grilles also survive. The house retains its sash windows.

The east façade comprises the east wall of the front range, and the gabled east walls of the projecting wings, in matching materials and detailing to the other facades. At the far left is the rear wall of the females block, with a projecting single-storey lavatory and low roof with the clerestory above (matching the front). To the right of this is the blind end of the laundry wing attached to the rear of the females block, with stone copings and kneelers. Behind this the clerestory ends and the roof spans unbroken from ridge to eaves, with a small catslide over a projecting rear entrance in the angle of the front range and laundry wing. To the right of this are the rear windows of the kitchen, larder and store of the front range. Further right are the ends of the two males wings, which mirror each other, separated by the former stone yard. Large gables mark the original width of the first floor, with smaller gables to the 1931 extensions. Only the ground-floor door openings in each are original, with an inserted window to each first floor and to the ground floor of the central wing. The extensions return before they meet the rear wall of the front range, thus preserving it but partially obscuring it. The ground-floor openings to the front range here are original (lighting the former males bathroom and general store) but the first-floor sleeping-cell openings have been blocked and window to another store enlarged.

The 1931 facades overlooking the stone yard retain the re-sited original brick modillion eaves but the pattern of openings is heavily altered. The south façade of the centre wing is similar to the north façade of the north wing, with some alteration to openings but some retained original dressings. The south façade of the front range has a brick band and some original openings, with stone copings. The south façade of the laundry wing is similar to the front façade, with brick eaves modillions and moulded timber box gutters, and windows with stone sills and lintels to the laundry at the left, gabled projecting wash house with Venetian window, and the drying room at the right. The north façade of the laundry wing is similar but less ornate.

The work sheds are of the same brick, with slate roofs, and are aligned east-west. The pre-1900 north shed (for wood chopping and oakum-picking) has a hipped roof, brick eaves modillions, and rubbed-brick segmental heads and blue cant-brick sills. Retained mullioned and transomed timber windows are original. Its west end has wide original nine-pane windows, and a blocked entrance. The angles at either side are formed by canted bay windows of the north and south facades, overlooking the adjacent yards and with stone jambs, sills and lintels and small hipped roofs of their own. The north façade has two blocked doorways at the east end, five windows (one boarded) and an inserted doorway. The south façade has an original doorway, six windows and two blocked doorways. The east end is formed by the earlier stable block* (which is not included in the listing).

The south shed (for wood-sawing) has a gabled roof with stone coping, brick eaves modillions and stone sills and lintels. Its retained windows are also original. Its west end has paired panel doors at the left, a small projecting toilet (pre-1908) centrally and window to the right. The north façade has some blocked and altered windows and doorways, retaining three unaltered two-light windows with stone mullions. Its south wall (originally a boundary wall) is largely blind with some blocking brickwork and buttresses, but retains at its east end a timber casement window with timber lintel and stone sill.

INTERIOR: the interior of the principal block retains much of its original plan-form, particularly to the females block and laundry wing, and with more alteration to the males block and house. The house has replacement fireplaces but retains its original carved stair newel and balustrade, and plaster cornices. The glazed office entrance also survives in the males block stair hall, along with the main stair’s decorative balustrade. The disinfector room is lined with white glazed bricks and retains the original disinfecting oven with its metal basket and temperature indicator (by WH Bailey of Salford), which rises to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. The glazed brick walls noted in Julia Varley’s visit also survive in the former sick rooms and the corridor leading to the south end of the block, which is understood to contain the original female sleeping cells, also with their original interiors, and some of the features of the laundry wing. Otherwise the interiors are largely devoid of historic features.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the frontage to Gledhow Road retains a low brick boundary wall with stone coping and gateposts to the three entrances (house, males and females). The wall is topped by original railings and the original gates also survive, together with railings and gates between the front boundary and the entrance steps to the reception block. Further south a high wall encloses the yard in front of the females block, and returns to meet the south façade.

*Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the former stable and coach-house block to the east of the oakum-picking and wood-chopping sheds is not of special architectural or historic interest. However any works which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require listed building consent and this is a matter for the local planning authority to determine.

Sources

Books and journals
Morrison, K, The Workhouse - A Study of Poor Law Buildings in England (1999), 179-188

Websites
Workhouses website, accessed 21/11/2024 from https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Leeds/
Workhouses website, accessed 21/11/2024 from https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Varley/p1.shtml
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Julia Vardy (1871 - 1952), accessed 28/03/25 from https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/42094

Other
Plans of 1893, 1900, 1906, 1908, 1931 and 1947 in Leeds Poor Law records (West Yorkshire Archives LA00879)
IH Goodall, ‘St James’s University Hospital’, (1993), RCHME inspection report
C Newman, ‘The Place Of The Pauper: A Historical Archaeology Of West Yorkshire Workhouses 1834-1930’ (2010), unpublished University of York PhD thesis, pp194-199

End of official list entry