Former Miners’ Welfare Institute, Methley

Plan to demolish care home and former ball room in Methley:
https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=P2OU60JBGYA00

A domineering mock Tudor civic building from the turn of the 20th century, this building represents an interesting departure from the red brick materiality of the coal field mining villages.

Steeped in history, the building was most recently used as an extra care facility. The council now wanting to raise receipts for assets such as this closed the facility and sold off the land to a private extra care facility provider.

Whether or not the building is suitable for extra care provision is not for me so say, but I know that when I reach the autumn of my life, I’d rather live in a beautiful historic building than a utilitarian ‘facility’.

Why can we not use redundant historic buildings as homes for the elderly? What better way to live out your hard earned old age, than to be the custodian of a piece of history.