Victoria Hall, Saltaire

53°50′13″N 1°47′23″W / 53.837073°N 1.789786°W / 53.837073; -1.789786Design and constructionArchitecture firmLockwood and MawsonAwards and prizesGrade II* listed

Victoria Hall, Saltaire (originally the Saltaire Institute) is a Grade II* listed building[1] in the village of Saltaire, near Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, built by architects Lockwood and Mawson.

History

Saltaire Institute was built by the architectural firm of Lockwood and Mawson between 1867 and 1871 for the industrialist and philanthropist Sir Titus Salt.[1] It cost £25,000. In the original design, the building contained a main hall seating 800, a lecture room, two art rooms, a laboratory, a gymnasium, a library of 8,500 books and a reading room. For use of the building, a quarterly fee was charged. This ranged downwards from 2 shillings for adult males.[1]

Architecture

Victoria Hall is a T-plan, two-storey building with a basement, constructed in ashlar, with rock-faced stone and a Welsh slate roof.[1]

Exterior

To the front, the exterior has a symmetrical, eleven-bay Italianate facade, with vermiculated quoins at ground floor level and pilaster quoins to the first floor. The central bay of the building breaks forward. On top of this bay is an elaborate square tower with pyramidal ashlar roof. Each side of the tower has a modillioned segmental pediment on an enriched entablature, supported by Corinthian columns, framing slender, round-arched windows. The central portal has double, panelled doors, fanlight, and large open segmental pediment supported on large consoles. The tympanum has a cartouche bearing the Salt family coat of arms, flanked by the carved figures of Art and Science by Thomas Milnes.[1]

At basement level, the windows are square-headed, while at ground and first floor level the windows are round-arched and archivolted, the first floor windows being framed by fluted Corinthian colonnettes, and with carved head keystones and blind balustrade with turned balusters. There is a dentilled cornice between the ground and first floors. The modillioned cornice forms the base to a deep, panelled parapet decorated with rosettes and pedimented piers with grotesque winged beasts supporting iron finials. Three-bay return elevations.[1]

The main hall projects at the rear. It is seven bays long by five bays wide with tall slender round-arched windows with glazing bars and circles in heads.[1]

Interior

The entrance hall has a large, stone dog-leg staircase with large square piers and vertically symmetrical turned balusters. The main hall has an elaborately plastered, coffered roof. Pilasters mark the bay divisions and support a bracketed entablature. There is a raking gallery at the rear, on fluted cast-iron columns. The former side galleries have been removed and there is glass panelling at the rear.[1]

Grounds

The building is set back from Victoria Road, on which it sits. There is a gardened square outside, bounded by a dwarf wall. At the front corners, on large square bases, are 2 sculpted lions, by Thomas Milnes of London, representing War and Peace. At the rear of the wall are round section cast-iron railings with spear-head finials on a dwarf wall.[1]

Modern use

At the present time, it is commonly used as a concert venue. Memorable concerts held there include the homecoming gig of local group Terrorvision after they reunited in 2007.

in 2009 a 1937 three manual twelve rank Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ (ex Gaumont Cinema Oldham) was installed in the main hall by the Cinema Organ Society, with the pipes and percussion housed in chambers under the stage. The console rises up on a lift on to the stage when in use for concerts, weddings and other events, classic and silent film presentations, dances and practice sessions.[2] The Society has also installed a projection system.

On 29 April 2010, the BBC TV series Antiques Roadshow was filmed at Victoria Hall.[3] The show was broadcast in two parts on 13 and 20 March 2011.[4][5]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victoria Hall, Saltaire.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1314205)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Saltaire, Victoria Hall". The Cinema Organ Society. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Antiques Roadshow comes to Saltaire's Victoria Hall". BBC Bradford & West Yorkshire. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Antiques Roadshow Saltaire 1". BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Antiques Roadshow Saltaire 2". BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Towns,
villages,
areas
and wards
Addingham
Allerton
Apperley Bridge
Baildon
Barkerend
Belle Vue
Ben Rhydding
Bingley
Bingley Rural
Bingley ward
Bolton and Undercliffe
Bowling and Barkerend
Bradford
Bradford Moor
Broomfields
Burley in Wharfedale
Burley Woodhead
Buttershaw
City of Bradford
City ward
Clayton
Cottingley
Craven ward
Crossflatts
Cross Roads
Cullingworth
Cutler Heights
Denholme
Dudley Hill
East Morton
East Bowling
Eastburn
Eccleshill
Egypt
Eldwick
Esholt
Frizinghall
Forster Square
Gilstead
Girlington
Great Horton
Greengates
Hainworth
Harden
Haworth
Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury
Heaton
Holme Wood
Idle
Idle and Thackley
Ilkley
Ingrow
Keighley
Keighley Central
Keighley East
Keighley West
Laisterdyke
Laycock
Little Germany
Little Horton
Long Lee
Longlands
Low Moor
Lumbfoot
Manningham
Menston
Oakenshaw
Oakworth
Odsal
Oldfield
Oxenhope
Queensbury
Ravenscliffe
Riddlesden
Royds
Ryecroft
Saltaire
Sandy Lane
Shipley
Silsden
Staithgate
Stanbury
Steeton
Steeton with Eastburn
Thackley
Thornbury
Thornton
Thornton and Allerton
Thorpe Edge
Toller
Tong ward
Tong village
Trident
Tyersal
Wharfedale ward
Wibsey
Wilsden
Windhill and Wrose
Worth Valley
Wrose
Wyke
GovernanceCulture
Leisure and
Tourism
Countryside
Buildings and
Listed buildings
Entertainment
Museums
and galleries
Clubs and
societies
Shopping
Parks
Events
Heritage
Services
Education
Health
Mass media
Publishing
Radio
TV
Organisations
Companies
Other
Sport
Clubs
Venues
Waterways
Rivers
Canals
Crossings
Transport
Air
Rail
Bus
Road
Miscellaneous
Crime
History
Military
Postcodes
Timeline
People
Geology
Aire Valley Fault
Denholme Clough Fault
Category