SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

In the first of a series of highly irregular features, Secret Leeds takes you to the hidden parts of the most iconic building in our city.

One hundred and forty-nine years old in the year of Leeds' 800th birthday, Cuthbert Brodrick's Town Hall is perhaps the greatest example of neo-classical Victorian civic architecture in Europe. But we all know about that...In the first of our Secret Leeds Features, Functions Supervisor Eric Ambler and ace photographer Mike Roddy take us beyond the grand exterior, & show us some of the many secrets of this great building.

On the way in, through the vestibule, one for Signs and Symbols, perhaps? The face of Cuthbert Brodrick looks up at us from the Minton China tiles in the floor. 'We're not sure how good the likeness is', says Mike. 'The tiles were replaced in 2004 and the old ones were pretty worn'. There are only two known photopgraphs of the Hull-born architect.

Into the great Victoria Hall, larger than the Guildhall in London, & dominated by the Emperor of Instruments, the mighty organ.

And the side you don't normally see. 'There are six thousand, six hundred of these pipes. Not just the ones as wide as a dustbin you see from the hall, but hundreds in here that are as fine as a feather'. The organ weighs 75 tonnes. 'You're stood inside one of the largest musical instruments in the world', says Mike.

Up three separate creaking wooden stepladders within the body of the Mighty Music Machine, a view of the Victoria Hall that the public doesn't normally get to see...

Through the organ loft into the roofspace of the Victoria Hall...

And out onto the roof. The dome above the organ loft to the North of the building.

Looking along the roof of the Victoria Hall.

And the front of the building that you can't see from the Headrow.