Temple Works

This is the ‘wikipedia’ entry for Temple Works. The myth of the sheep is actually true. However this is a little dry for our tastes, so it’s our intention to be a little more creative, and inclusive with the ‘histories’ of Temple Works over the the course of our stay here…

Temple Works is a former flax mill in Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was designed by Joseph Bonomi the Younger and built by John Marshall between 1836 and 1840.

Temple Works, also known as Temple Mill, was based on the Temple of Edfu at Horus in Egypt with a chimney designed in the style of an obelisk. Marshall’s inspiration for the design of Temple Works was his interest in Egyptology. When it was built it was said that Temple Works was the biggest single room in the world.

One extremely unusual feature of the Temple Works building is the fact that sheep used to graze on the grass-covered roof. This served the purpose of retaining humidity in the flax mill in order to prevent the linen thread from becoming dried out and unmanageable.

Temple Works is the only Grade I listed building in Holbeck.

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