Thursday, February 05, 2009

Egyptomania: Egyptian style mill in Leeds UK needs restoration

Yorkshire Evening Post

LEEDS boasts a number of impressive buildings that are recognised far and wide.

The Town Hall, Corn Exchange and Leeds University's Parkinson Building are all celebrated landmarks.

However, anyone who has been stopped in their tracks by the less well-known Temple Mill will attest to its status as one of the city's greatest hidden gems.

Designed by Egyptologist and architect Joseph Bonomi Jnr, it is modelled on Edfu Temple and was once a central part of the city's thriving flax industry.

It was hoped the mill would be a centrepiece of the Holbeck Urban Village but it now needs a great deal of work to safeguard even its short-term future.

Its owners have asked engineers to put a figure on the repairs and they are not expected to be cheap.

But the money to preserve this remarkable building must be found. It is an important and unique piece of Leeds's industrial heritage. One we cannot afford to lose – at any cost.

It looks like a fabulous building. There's a photograph of it on the Leeds.gov.uk website.

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