The provision of public buildings in the West Riding of Yorkshire, c.1600-1840

The study makes a comparative analysis of the provision of public buildings in the twelve principal West Riding towns between 1600 and 1840. It includes an illustrated survey of the changes in the physical form and amenities of buildings over the period and a 170-page gazetteer with details of all the public buildings provided in the towns between 1100 and 1840. Over six hundred buildings were provided between 1100 and 1840. Approximately three-quarters were purpose-built, the remainder being existing premises converted for public use. The rate of provision rose sharply in the second half of the eighteenth century, coinciding with the onset of the Industrial Revolution and rapid population growth. This acceleration was accompanied by a high level of expenditure (£1.2 million between 1750 and 1840) and a notable rise in spending on individual buildings. Despite differences in the type and size of buildings erected in each town, little important variation in per capita spending, is apparent; only in the county town, Wakefield, was expenditure significantly above average. The promotion and organization of building projects could be a complex and drawn-out affair. The typical structure took about two years to erect, but the larger ones might take up to five or six years. The public sector played a subordinate role in provision, contributing no more than one-third of the finance throughout our period. This was not purely the product of laissez-faire attitudes since lack of funds proved a serious problem; some public bodies engaged enthusiastically in building activities. The remaining two-thirds of finance came from the private sector. Although its activities often were motivated by benevolence, self-preservation, desire for amenity, and civic pride, not infrequently buildings were regarded as sound economic investments. Two factors exerted considerable influence on the timing of the provision of buildings. The first was a combination of urban rivalry, emulation, and civic pride: the provision of an amenity in one town sometimes set off a chain reaction elsewhere. The second was the state of the economy. It is evident that building provision rose and fell in association with pronounced upturns and downturns in general economic activity. Assessing the contribution of public buildings to economic development is a hazardous, if not impossible, task. Suffice it to say that, if the West Riding' s experience was typical, between 1750 and 1840 the acceleration of investment in them compared favourably with that occurring in other sectors of the British economy.