Visiting the grandest town halls of Yorkshire on the hottest day of the year seems to be becoming a habit for me. On previous occasions, I’ve toured the remarkable Halifax Town Hall and the underrated Bradford City Hall while the flags were cracking – though thankfully 19th century municipal corporations’ tendency to build using very thick, expertly carved stone walls provides a level of insulation protecting against the beating sun – and at noon on 12 August 2025 it was the turn of Morley Town Hall to receive me along with around 30 other Leeds Civic Trust members against the backdrop of one of this summer’s numerous heatwaves.
Morley, its own borough from 1889 and proudly independent of the City of Leeds until 1974, has one of those excellent town halls which proliferated across the prosperous West Riding in the Victorian era. In towns of modest size built on industry, imposing civic architecture was often employed to accommodate the local government of the day as its role expanded and visitors from elsewhere required impressing. Morley’s is from 1895 and a work of Holtom & Fox, a partnership also responsible for Dewsbury and Burnley town halls. If you’re from the Leeds area, even if you’ve not been into Morley itself for years, you’ll recognise and remember Morley Town Hall. Its neoclassical columns and central tower (only slightly borrowed from Brodrick’s municipal masterpiece on the Headrow) create a distinctive silhouette by which Morley can be easily symbolised. It goes without saying the town hall is appended by a Grade I listing and an LCT blue plaque.
Except. It’s not in its best ever state at the moment. The stone’s a bit grimy and has things growing out of it. The City Council – owner and operator – centralises most functions in the city centre, so while a few offices remain in Morley, the building is extremely underused and Leeds City Council freely admits it. It contains an underutilised performance hall, abandoned law court and cells, opulent mayor’s parlour and room after corridor after room of delightful and original tiling, statuary and stained glass – along with some unfortunate 20th century internal alterations.
But this is why we were there; there’s no point going along just to say it was a shame things have gone downhill since its heyday. Leeds City Council has a plan, and planning permission, to rejuvenate – and that is the specific word chosen – the whole building using money from the Morley Town Deal. That’s one of those devices the previous government invented to hand out bits of cash for investment; Brighouse, Dewsbury and Wakefield have also got town deals locally. Morley’s is £24.3 million with about £5m heading into the town hall project, with the rest on highway and pedestrian works, an adult learning and skills centre, a White Rose innovation hub, and grants for other heritage buildings.
The town hall programme of works will cover 2026 and aims to improve the Alexandra concert hall as the key cultural asset, introduce a café bar, improve accessibility throughout the building, and enhance the space around the building to a focal point at the heart of Morley.
So representatives from LCC (Chris Gosling) and its chosen architect Page\Park (David Pogson) gave us the full tour with thorough detail on history and the plans for what’s to come. Page\Park has designed and is delivering a similar but even more ambitious renovation of Leeds Town Hall and proving itself to be a trustworthy partner. Tendering and appointment of contractors is taking place in autumn 2025, though the building has already been closed to the public since late last year, while preliminary intrusive surveys and electrical works begin.
The Alexandra Hall will be getting its balcony seating refurbished and its current stage cut back, restored and given a modular extension system for flexibility to hold different types of events. Everything from comedy to music is planned for the room, so new sound and lighting will be going in as well as acoustic panels in the coffered ceiling. Below, a host of rooms are being opened up and connected to form a bar area to support events.
On our tour we also viewed the disused courtroom, preserved well with its period wooden furniture, which is to be retained for filming purposes having already been in several productions, and there was also time for a trip up to the base of the tower.
‘Former glory’ is an overused phrase, but I hope the building’s ‘rejuvenation’ and new uses bring it success and the people of Morley can continue to take great pride in their town hall as it enters the modern era.
