Egyptomania: Leeds Temple Mill

Yorkshire Evening Post

Nice to see that this building has been restored at long last. I've been posting odds and ends about the need for its restoration for a long time.

Temple Works, on Marshall Street, Holbeck, was built by John Marshall between 1836 and 1830 and was originally used as a flax mill.

The Grade-II listed building was based on the Temple of Edfu at Horus in Egypt, a design inspired by Marshall's interest in Egyptology.

But probably the building's most famous feature was the sheep which used to graze on the grass-covered roof.

The unusual farming method was used to retain humidity inside the mill, preventing the linen thread from becoming dried out and unmanageable.

The landmark was nominated by Aubrey Solomon, who said: "In the past years, it has been neglected – in fact, collapsing!

Although it was built by Marshall it was actually designed by Egyptologist and architect Joseph Bonomi Jnr.

There's a photo of the building, plus a description, on Wikipedia.