Leeds Town Hall is to undergo a big spring clean to spruce up the building in time for its revamp.
Though the task will take a long time, Leeds City Council hopes that over the next few months, layers of grime and urban pollution will be removed from Victoria Hall. Specialist cleaning teams will scale the building to remove the dirt that has been on the building since it opened in 1858.
With the building more than 50 feet in the air, the cleaners will get a rare, up-close look at the heritage and features crafted by Victorian designers. Once the decades of accumulated dust have been successfully removed, contractors and artists are expected to head into the hall early in the summer, where they will begin the task of restoring Victoria Hall’s paintwork to its former glory.
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Matthew Sims, Leeds City Council’s head of arts and events, said: “The Victoria Hall restoration is a true, once-in-a-lifetime project where we’ve had the chance to rediscover so many beautiful features that were part of the original vision for this unique performance space.
“Because opportunities to access the highest points of the hall have been so few and far between over the decades, inevitably that’s meant a lot of dust and dirt accumulating in some of the hardest to reach areas and getting rid of that will be one of the first steps in restoring the hall to its former glory.
“Everyone at the town hall has been so excited to uncover aspects of the space that we’ve never seen before and it’s really helped us to build a picture of how this project will connect the hall’s past and future.”
The Victoria Hall scheme is part of wider, ongoing efforts to refurbish and restore Leeds Town Hall, preserving a Grade 1 listed public asset which is one of the city’s most recognisable buildings. The project will also ensure the building can host large-scale events and concerts, generating significant income for the council and the city and engaging with wider audiences.
Also part of the project is the refurbishment of the Leeds Town Hall organ, which has already seen most of the instrument’s 6,000 pipes removed. Much of the 70-tonne organ’s ageing mechanism will now be replaced, including its soundboards, wind supply and console.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “Leeds Town Hall is one of the city’s most beloved buildings and a symbol of our city’s rich history and heritage.
“Preserving this iconic landmark is hugely important, not only as a tribute to the city past but as an investment in its future, ensuring that the town hall can continue to be a unique performance space Leeds can be proud of for many generations to come.”
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