Marshall's Mill in Private Eye

[simong]

Marshall's Mill is the lead feature in the Nooks and Corners section of the current Private Eye (issue 1228 ). It looks like it isn't on the magazine's website so I will try and scan it at some point it anyone is interested.    

[simong]

"Of ALL the astonishing and sublime structures that emerged from Britain's pre- eminence in the IndustrialRevolution, one of the most extraordinary is Marshall's Mill in Leeds - otherwise known as Temple Mill. It isso- called because it looks like a temple: its Millstone Grit facade was a product of the contemporaryfashion for things Egyptian and was closely based on ancient temples in the Nile valley.Built in 1838-40 by the entrepreneur James Marshall. Temple Mill was a flax-spinning mill. The engineer wasJames Combe; but the man who designed the monumental exterior was the Egyptologist James Bonomi who had spenta decade measuring and draw ing temples in Egypt and would go on to advise on the design of the EgyptianCourt at the Crystal Palace and eventually became the second curator of Sir John Soane's Museum.The office block in Marshall Street. with its central entrance and lotus columns, was inspired by the Templeof Horus at Edfu, but the longer facade of the adjacent factory wing was derived from the Typhonium at Denderah. The factory was not only remarkable in style: behind the stonefront is a vast, single-storey, iron-framed interior, some two-acres in area, in which cast-iron columns withEgyptian capitals support a brick-vaulted roof. The columns were connected with adjustable tie-rods to copewith changes in temperature or humidity. As for the immense roof, penetrated by 66 glass domes, its bitumencoating was protected with an 8-inch covering of soil on which sheep grazed.Apart from the loss of the original factory chimney in the shape of Cleopatra's needle, this amazingstructure survived intact. But then, last month, one of the columns on the factory front suddenly shattered,flinging a large chunk of stone over the railings on to the pavement, and an area of the roof, together witha dome, collapsed. This was a consequence of long-term neglect.A survey conducted three years earlier had found that the front wall was leaning outwards and that the ironstructure was under stress - possibly because of water seeping in through the concrete that unfortunately waslater poured over the roof. Two tie rods have since snapped and three column capitals cracked. So why hasn'tthis grade I listed building been properly looked after and repaired?In 2005 the building - long used for storage - was bought by SJS Property Management of London along withsurrounding land. Grand plans were announced for regenerating the Holbeck area by building new commercial andretail space while Temple Mill was to become "the first place in the UK to embrace the European concept of a cultural retail centre" - whatever that may be. But Leeds city council foolishly - culpably - failed to link the planning permission it granted for the new development to a requirement to restore Temple Mill, thus allowing the developer to leave this famous, wonderful building empty and derelict.And who or what is SJS Property Management? It is a firm owned by none other than the Telegraph- owning twinsSir David and Sir Frederick Barclay (Eyes passim ad nauseam), who made their money in property and now liveon a remote island in a castle designed by Quinlan Terry. While overseeing the destruction of a once-greatnewspaper, they also now appear to be presiding over the decline of a nationally important grade 1 listedmonument. And to think the Queen gave them knighthoods!"    

[slw]

Thanks for posting this. Are there any pictures with the article ?(as i might go buy a copy.)

[simong]

Just a small one for illustrative purposes. I'll scan it and post it. But you should read Private Eye anyway