Time Ball Buildings, Leeds
| Time Ball Buildings, Leeds | |
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| General information | |
| Address | 24, 25 and 26, Briggate, Leeds |
| Town or city | Leeds |
| Coordinates | 53°47′43.79″N 1°32′33.77″W / 53.7954972°N 1.5427139°W |
| Designations | Grade II* listed[1] |
Time Ball Buildings, Leeds is a Grade II* listed building in Briggate, Leeds.
History
The building dates from the early 19th century and was used by a variety of businesses, acting as a distillery, saddlery, barber and perfumier and stationer. By 1869 the premises were uninhabited. By 1872 a watchmaker by the name of John Dyson[2] occupied No. 26. By 1890 he occupied No.s 24 and 25 as well.
The elaborately decorated front dates over numbers 25 and 26 dates from 1872 and over 26 from 1900. The distinctive features of the building are the gilded time ball, and the cantilevered clock, surmounted by a figure of Father Time carved by John Wormald Appleyard. A second clock by Potts of Leeds was installed in 1910.
The gilded time ball mechanism had a connection to the time equipment at Greenwich and the time ball dropped at exactly 1pm each day.
The building was restored in 1993.
References
- ^ Historic England, "Time Ball Buildings (1255855)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 7 January 2017
- ^ Baldwin, Katie (21 July 2005). "Time has moved on for 'Leeds Clock'". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 7 February 2017.