There have recently been some interesting developments towards the regeneration of an area of Leeds city centre. The Lower Kirkgate Townscape Heritage Initiative Scheme has defined a 'character area' that includes Kirkstall Market, the Corn Exchange, the First and Third White Cloth Halls, the Assembly Rooms and St Peter's Parish Church. Some preliminary work has already begun with the demolition of the later infill and west wing of the First White Cloth Hall [see below]. There seems to be a plan to reconstruct the building with some materials conserved from the damaged areas, although it remains unclear to what purpose.
The Kirkgate Character Area Management Plan is a particularly interesting read [it really is - to me at least!], as a document that necessarily has to negotiate historical research, the disparate interests of cultural and commercial stakeholders and the bureaucratic apparatus of local government. The online public consultation is open until 20 May.
Thanks for this post Rebecca....it'll be part of your 'Heritage Walk' no doubt!...maybe the Council could do one of those augmented reality photos like the Museum of London do?....
ReplyDeleteWell, although I find it fascinating, it is a little outside my research remit. I believe it was more or less defunct by the late eighteenth century and doesn't seem to have had the same exhibitionary history as the Third White and Coloured Cloth Halls in the nineteenth century. We do have the overflow of corpses from the graveyard at St Peter's to thank for our handsome cemetery on campus though!
ReplyDeletePeter Brears has put one of the archival images in the contemporary context, which could certainly be translated into augmented reality:
http://newsfeed.leedsvirtualnewsroom.co.uk/2011_04_08_archive.html
It would be great to have a digital component to the interpretation they seem keen to include.
The augmented reality picture is fab actually....and I did my civic duty and completed the online survey (they'll probably spot that I'm in East Yorkshire though as I had to give my postcode...and I don't know why they need to know my religion and sexual orientation...equality services on overkill I think...?)
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