Majestic, Leeds
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The Majestic is a Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
on
City Square, Leeds City Square is a paved area north of Leeds railway station at the junction of Park Row, Leeds, Park Row to the east and Wellington Street to the south. It is a triangular area where six roads meet: Infirmary Street and Park Row to the north, Boa ...
, occupying the corner of Quebec Street and Wellington Street. Constructed as a cinema in the early 1920s during a boom in the building of
picture palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 19 ...
s, it was closed in 1969, after which the Majestic was used as a
bingo hall Bingo is a game of probability in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, the winner being the first person to mark off all their numbers. Bingo, also previously known in the UK as Housey-Housey, ...
and later as a
nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
. The building was listed at Grade II in 1993 as the Top Rank Bingo Hall and, in 2014, was badly damaged in a fire, resulting in the loss of all original interior and roof. Subsequently, it has been redeveloped into offices by
Rushbond Rushbond plc is an unlisted commercial and residential property development and investment company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Leeds, West Yorkshire in 1986 by Jonathan W Maud and exclusively operates around the Leeds City Region, ...
, serving as the national headquarters of
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
.


Architecture

The Majestic is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...
as a Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
as a nationally important example of an early twentieth-century cinema, having been designated on 14 June 1993. The Majestic is a two-storey building in the Beaux-Arts style clad in Marmo artificial marble, a glazed terracotta which was made by the Leeds Fireclay Co at
Burmantofts Burmantofts is an area of 1960s high-rise housing blocks in inner-city east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England adjacent to the city centre and St. James's Hospital. It is a racially diverse area, with sizable Afro-Caribbean and Irish communities, ...
. Until restoration, this white material was blackened for many years by the polluted environment of Leeds. It is sited on the corner of Wellington Street and Quebec Street, with a curved and decorative entrance facade facing City Square. It originally had steep slate
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
s with
dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
s and a dome, but these were lost to the fire of 2014. Though the style is reserved compared to previous
Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
or Victorian buildings, there are many subtle external decorative features. These principally include the Greek key patterned panels on both side elevations, the
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
with
modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). All ...
s, vase balustrade and two sets of triple bull's-eye windows at the attic storey. On the first floor, there are moulded faience swags above windows and detailed panels illustrating
musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
s. A further three glazed storeys were added to the building in its redevelopment by Rushbond, which follow a
contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
style, as well as a new
lightwell In architecture, a lightwell,light well, light-well sky-well,skywell, sky well or air shaft is an unroofed or roofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or ...
topped by a glass dome to allow light into the offices, given its deep floor plan, and new openings on the ground floor in place of the former billboard panels.


Interior

The original interior of the Majestic was characterised by the fine decoration and embellishments of early 20th century cinemas and theatres. The generously-sized, fan-shaped
auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
could seat 2,800 (1,600 in the stalls and 1,200 in the balcony), was covered by a
coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also ...
ed dome with a diameter of nearly and had many decorative features, such as a circular Classical
frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
of repeated groups of horses and chariots, moulded
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
s and wall motifs, and
fluted Fluting may refer to: *Fluting (architecture) * Fluting (firearms) * Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) *Fluting (paper) Arts, entertainment, and media *Fluting on the Hump ''Fluting on the Hump'' is the first album by avant-garde band Kin ...
Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...
surrounding the walls. Additionally, there was a grand organ of three manuals and 33
stop Stop may refer to: Places * Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck d ...
s built by HS Vincent of
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, and space for a small orchestra to perform live alongside the
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
s which were shown during the 1920s when the Majestic opened. The wedge shape of the Majestic's plot had a great influence on its interior layout; it provided an opportunity for a large curved auditorium, fanning as the building widens, facing a screen at the east of the building. Historically, the primary entrance to the cinema was therefore via the side entrances with a rear circulation space and crush hall being provided there. The interior of the building was subject to repeated intervention during the 20th century, in association with its use for a bingo hall and nightclub. This included the insertion of
dropped ceiling A dropped ceiling is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling. It may also be referred to as a drop ceiling, T-bar ceiling, false ceiling, suspended ceiling, grid ceiling, drop in ceiling, drop out ceiling, or ceiling til ...
s, staircases,
partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...
ing, the cutting back of the balcony structure, and the painting of historic features in camouflage style paint.


Basement

The building's other rooms included a
restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
and a
ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...
with a sprung dancefloor, both in the basement. These could be accessed directly from City Square using the main eastern entrance and were originally decorated in a Classical style. The rear of the basement included a circular kitchen and other servicing spaces.


History


Majestic Cinema

The site of the Majestic was occupied at the end of the 19th century by a timber yard and a row of small buildings named Eye Bright Place; the western end survives as 34–38 Wellington Street. At the construction of
City Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
in 1896–1903, the corner site was cleared and left as an open space. It was the location of a recruitment office during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, which was demolished at its conclusion in 1918. Leeds Picture Playhouses Ltd bought the land, occupying a prime position beside
Leeds railway station Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth-busiest railway station in the UK outside London (as of March 2020). I ...
, from
Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of l ...
for £80,000 () and made plans for a cinema, which were described in a ''Yorkshire Evening News'' article on 16 January 1920; it claimed "the decorations and appointments will be of a most sumptuous character". Its architect was Pascal J Stienlet of
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, with his partner Joseph C Maxwell. Stienlet was an established cinema architect who continued to practise until the 1930s. The chosen Beaux-Arts style was characteristic of many of the large and grand "supercinemas" or
picture palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 19 ...
s of the time, which is considered a golden age of cinema building. The Majestic Cinema was opened on 5 June 1922 by the Lord Mayor William Hodgson, the first film being ''
Way Down East ''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There w ...
'' which was attended by 50,000 people in its first week. In December 1925, it was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, who in turn were bought by
Gaumont-British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...
in February 1929, and after that by
The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...
in 1941. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the building was used as a base for soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk and as an air raid shelter. ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
'', which ran at the Majestic from April 1965 to September 1967, was the longest movie run ever in Leeds, though '' South Pacific'' had a 38-week run from September 1958. From 1961 afternoon
bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...
started in the basement ballroom, becoming a full-time bingo hall in 1967. The cinema closed on 10 July 1969, with the final screening being ''
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ( it, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Clee ...
''.


After closure

Immediately following closure of the cinema, it was converted into a bingo hall named Top Rank by its owner, The Rank Organisation, to go with the one in the basement ballroom. The bingo functions closed in 1996 and the building was sold to Luminar Leisure, becoming the Majestyk
nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
in 1997. This in turn closed in 2006, but a smaller live venue named Jumpin' Jacks remained open downstairs and the upper room continued to be used as a concert venue until 2008. The whole building was granted consent for a change of use to
casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
with function room restaurant and
sports betting Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. The frequency of sports bet upon varies by culture, with the vast majority of bets being placed on association football, American football, basket ...
area in 2005. However, the licence was refused by the local
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
s and a high court appeal was dismissed, therefore the casino use was never taken up. It was at this point, after a lengthy and ultimately fruitless legal process, that Luminar Leisure decided to sell the now empty building.


Fire and redevelopment

The new owner, the Leeds-based property firm
Rushbond Rushbond plc is an unlisted commercial and residential property development and investment company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Leeds, West Yorkshire in 1986 by Jonathan W Maud and exclusively operates around the Leeds City Region, ...
, began work with the contractor
Sir Robert McAlpine Sir Robert McAlpine Limited is a family-owned building and civil engineering company based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It carries out engineering and construction in the infrastructure, heritage, commercial, arena and stadium, healthcare, educa ...
from 2012 to restore and convert it into mixed leisure and retail use, including punching large new windows into the ground floor in the former
billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
spaces, which was largely complete and ready for opening. However, on 30 September 2014 a large fire gutted the building, both the roof and most of the interior being destroyed. The incident closed off much of the city centre for over twelve hours. The outer walls were considered to be safe and not in danger of collapse.
Arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
was established as the cause of the fire by the investigation, with evidence showing a naked flame had been deliberately placed against the seats. A 32-year-old man was arrested in connection with his suspicious behaviour at the scene, but he was cleared of all charges after a three-day
trial In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...
in March 2015. Work began in 2018 to convert it into office space and extend upwards, followed by the announcement in April 2019 that
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
was in advanced talks to site its new national
headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
– containing creative and digital departments, alongside new creative hubs in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
– in the Majestic; it was confirmed in December 2019 that Channel 4 would occupy the third, fourth and fifth floors, followed in July 2020 by confirmation of the law firm Knights plc taking the first and second floors. Knights completed their move in May 2021, while Channel 4 opened its office in the Majestic with 200 staff in September 2021. This leaves only the lower ground and ground floors still to let.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Leeds (City and Hunslet Ward - northern area) City and Hunslet (ward), City and Hunslet is a Ward (electoral subdivision), ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It contains over 400 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recor ...


References


External links

{{Commonscat, Majestic, Leeds
Official website

Images of the original interior – 28dayslater

Gallery: Fire at former Majestyk nightclub in Leeds
– ''
Huddersfield Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851, as the '' ...
'' 1922 establishments in England Former cinemas in England Grade II listed buildings in Leeds Leeds Blue Plaques Movie palaces Theatres completed in 1922 Listed commercial buildings in the United Kingdom Channel 4 Grade II listed cinemas