British Library Temple Works scheme in Leeds gets £5m boost

The former Victorian flax mill in Leeds could become a northern base for the British Library

Plans to develop a Victorian mill into a site for the British Library have received a £5m boost.

The Egyptian-style Temple Works building in Leeds could be converted into a northern outpost of the national collection by 2028.

The money will pay towards stabilising the foundations of the former flax mill before its planned £70m conversion.

West Yorkshire's mayor Tracy Brabin described the scheme as a "really exciting opportunity for Leeds".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Ms Brabin was speaking at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) which voted in favour of the £5m grant.

"I would also like to see the opportunity for renovation in an area that has traditionally been an area of deprivation," said Ms Brabin.

"It is a really exciting opportunity for Leeds. To bring in tourism and academics and to be one of the best in the country is just fantastic."

A report into the plans by WYCA officers claimed the site could create extra jobs and bring in an extra half-a-million visitors to Leeds every year.

It is hoped the site will one day play host to a British Library northern exhibit, sitting alongside its major base in Boston Spa, which is home to more than three-quarters of the Library's collection.

The British Library described the Temple Works project as "a major new public-facing centre for audiences and users in the north of England" with exhibitions, cultural events, schools programming, business support services and access to research collections.

The Grade I-listed building in Holbeck was built in 1836 with a facade based on the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.