Baptist College: Rawdon near Bradford

A pretty 7.5 acre woodland site in Rawdon was offered to the Baptists by former Bradford Mayor Robert Milligan and architects were invited to enter a design competition, won by H J Paull. The new college, costing £12,000, opened on September 4, 1859 with a devotional service and a meeting of 700 people, among them Sir Titus Salt, the industrialist creator of Saltaire.

For the Baptists has been completed a theological college at Rawdon, near Bradford, of some extent and generally Tudor character, though with considerable admixture of other styles. It contains spacious lecture, class, professors’ and dining rooms with a large library in the first floor, students’ rooms and all other necessary apartments. The architect was Mr H J Paull of Cardiff, the materials employed is the local delf-stone with Rawdon Hill stone dressings; the cost is under £8,000. [Gentleman’s Magazine March 1860 page 247]

NORTHERN BAPTIST COLLEGE, RAWDEN, NEAR BRADFORD - The committee appointed for the erection of this building advertised for plans twelve months since, and received upwards of forty designs in competition, when that furnished by Mr. H. J. Paull, of Cardiff, was selected for execution, and he was entrusted with the superintendence of the work. Tenders were obtained, and the following accepted, viz.; 1. Excavator, bricklayer, and mason, Israel Thornton; £3,390 10s. 2. Carpenter and joiner, Booth Illingworth; £1,468. 3. Plasterers and slaters, Duckworth and Howroyd; £669. 10s. 4. Ironwork, Lawrence and Robinson; £452. 5. Plumber, glazier, and painter, John Stead, £810. Total, £6,790. All the contractors are Bradford tradesmen. The foundation-stone of the building was laid by Mr. Thomas Aked, of Shipley Grange, on the 4th of August, 1857, and the works have made considerable progress. The lower portions of the building are now roofed in, and the whole will be under cover in about three or four weeks. The walls are built of the local "delf" stone, common hammer-dressed on the face, and pointed with dark mortar. The dressings and quoins are of Rawdenhill stone, and sand-stone raised on the site. The roofs are slated, Portmadoc and Bangor slates being laid in alternate lines, which produce contrast of colour. The terrace wall in front is built "dry" with stone from the site. This terrace was not included in the original contract, and will cost about £500. "The front of the building will be devoted to the president's residence, the educational apartments, and the students' rooms, the latter ranging on either side of the former departments, which last appropriately occupy the central division. In the rear, and branching at right angles from the centre of the front building, will be the refectory and the domestic offices, which will thus be easily accessible from all parts of the college. A spacious front door-way opens into an entrance- hall of good proportions, which leads to a corridor of communication, running right and left of the whole building. Facing the hall is the principal staircase, which leads to the library and other apartments above. Glass screens will be placed in the long corridor, in order to check currents of air, and also to separate the students' apartments from the more public parts of the college. This arrangement will secure privacy to the rooms of the students. Thirteen studies are provided on the ground-floor, on the west side of the centre building, and thirteen on the east side, each room being 11 feet by 9 feet, and 9 feet 6 inches high. Over each is placed a corresponding dormitory, approached by staircases in the wings. The pro- posed building will, therefore, accommodate at once twenty-six students; but the plans will admit of a ready enlargement of the building, without even a temporary interference with a single room, so as to afford accommodation to fifteen or twenty in addition. The lecture and class rooms (called "educational apartments") are in the centre of the buildings. They are entered from the corridor, and arc equally accessible by all. The lecture-room is 18 feet by 24 feet, and the class-rooms are each 18 feet by 15 feet. All these have a uniform height of 13 feet. The library is on the one-pair floor, and is approached by the central staircase, which has a spacious landing in front of the library door. The dimensions are 39 feet by 26 feet, and 20 feet high. There is room for 10,000 volumes, 'octavo' being taken as the average size." It is intended that the college shall be occupied in August next, and the contractors are bound to complete the building by that date. [Builder 26 February 1859 page 62]

Reference    Builder 26 February 1859 page 62 with plan
Reference    Builder 26 February 1859 page 63 - view
Reference    Builder XVI Page 188
Reference    Gentleman’s Magazine March 1860 page 247