National Poetry Centre

The National Poetry Centre of the United Kingdom is a charity, registered in 2022, which plans to open a centre in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in 2027.

Its trustees include Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who has said "My highest ambition when appointed Poet Laureate was to create a national home for poetry in my native West Yorkshire."[1]

In March 2024, it was announced that the Department for Levelling Up would make a grant of £5 million to the centre.[1][2]

Building

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The former Trinity St David's church in 2013, at that time the Quilted Llama nightclub

The centre is to occupy the former Trinity St David's church on Woodhouse Lane, adjacent to the University of Leeds campus.[3] This is a grade II listed building,[4] which was a Congregational church from 1902 to 1972 and a United Reformed church from 1972 to 1997, and more recently has been used as a university furniture store and as a nightclub under the names "Halo" and "Quilted Llama".[3][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Poetry Centre in Leeds gets £5m funding boost". BBC News. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Government backs National Poetry Centre on Leeds campus". www.leeds.ac.uk. University of Leeds. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Burn, Chris (20 January 2023). "Famous Leeds site to become new home of National Poetry Centre, Simon Armitage reveals". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Trinity Congregational Church, Sunday School and Lodge (1255657)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
    Historic England. "Boundary wall with gate piers and gates to Trinity Congregational Church (1255658)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Yorkshire, West, Leeds, Trinity St. David, Woodhouse Lane". npor.org.uk. The National Pipe Organ Register. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
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