International
Concert Series

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Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall
School of Music, 12 Cavendish Road, Leeds LS2 9JT

The concert hall is on the University of Leeds campus. You reach it through the School of Music’s main entrance on Cavendish Road.

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When you arrive

Come in through the School of Music’s main reception, where a member of the concerts team will meet you and direct you to the hall.

Go up the short flight of stairs (or take the lift) to the upper ground floor, through the double doors, and turn left into the Clothworkers Bar. The doors to the concert hall are at the far end.

  • The bar opens half an hour before concerts, with free tea and coffee before lunchtime concerts.
  • The hall opens 10–15 minutes before the start. Seating isn’t reserved; the balcony is up the stairs at the back of the hall.
  • We’re cashless, so please bring a card.

Parking

On-campus parking is open to the public in the evenings and at weekends only.

  • The closest car park is the University multi-storey, just south of the concert hall, entered from Vernon Road.
  • The closest public car park is on Leighton Place, LS1 3BR.
  • Blue badge parking is right outside the building and on Cavendish Road.

If you have a disability and are driving to a lunchtime concert, email us in advance and we can book on-site parking for you.

University visitor parking information

Accessibility

  • Step-free access to the hall, with automatic front doors and a lift to every floor.
  • Wheelchair spaces on the flat at the front of the hall. You don’t need to book, but you’re welcome to email us to reserve one.
  • A free ticket for a companion or carer at paid events. Just get in touch.
  • An accessible, gender-neutral toilet with baby changing on the same floor as the hall.
  • Guide and assistance dogs are very welcome.
  • There’s no hearing loop. Operas usually have surtitles, and our YouTube videos have captions.

Full accessibility information

About the hall

From church to concert hall

The Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall began life as a Presbyterian church, designed by the architect James Barlow Fraser and built in 1878–79. Known as Cavendish Road Church, it was the home of St Columba Presbyterian Church. Its foundation stone, laid by J. G. Stevenson MP on 23 October 1878, sits to the right of the entrance.

Look up as you pass along Cavendish Road. The red-brick front, with its Ionic-columned entrance, rises to a tower crowned by a gilded dome. The building is Grade II listed. When it was first listed, in August 1976, it was recorded as a University library.

It was officially opened as a concert hall in 1976. Its name honours both the Clothworkers’ Company and the centenary of the founding of the Yorkshire College of Science, which became the University of Leeds when it was granted its charter.

Home of the School of Music

The 250-seat hall is the focal point of the University’s School of Music, and you reach it through the School itself, by way of the Clothworkers Bar. Alongside the International Concert Series, with internationally acclaimed artists and rising talent from the School, it hosts School of Music performances, film screenings and conferences. Fully retractable seating, high-definition livestreaming and big-screen projection make it as flexible as it is beautiful.

Sources: concerts.leeds.ac.uk (Contact us, What to expect, Accessibility and Venue hire pages), Open Up, Leeds Inspired, the Historic England list entry and Wikipedia.