Town & Country

Annunciata Elwes

Temple of books A PROJECT to convert an extraordinary Egyptian-style Victorian mill in Leeds into the northern outpost of the British Library has been awarded £10 million from the Government. The total cost of the conversion is estimated at £70 million and, although the scheme received £1 million from Historic England (HE) in 2022 to make the landmark watertight, there is some way to go. A Grade I-listed former flax-spinning mill, Temple Works has been empty for 20 years. It was built in 1838–40 for John Marshall by architect Joseph Bonomi and engineer James Coombe, inspired by the Temple of Edfu. Unlike its Egyptian counterpart, it was famous for its flat roof covered in grass, which maintained humidity in the building (preventing linen thread from snapping) and notoriously allowed the…

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Country Life (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 12, 2025

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