Labour has committed £64m of funding to UK cultural projects, including £5m for Leeds’ National Poetry Centre.
Trinity St David’s Church may have sat empty for several years now, but all that’s set to change with the arrival of the National Poetry Centre. The Grade II-listed building has taken on many various forms, the most recent being a nightclub – Quilted Llama or Church, anyone? – but it’s now set to transform into one of the nation’s most culturally significant venues.
“The idea was first mooted by Simon Armitage when he became Poet Laureate”, Director Nick Barley told us. “Each Poet Laureate is encouraged to have what they call a legacy project and Simon decided that his legacy project should be the creation of a national organisation to stand up for poetry across the UK.”
And so, the idea of a National Poetry Centre was born. One of the most important things for Simon was that the centre should be located in a place other than London, ideally in the north of England. As a proud Yorkshireman and Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds, he ultimately chose Leeds as the home for the national institution.
The board’s trustees conducted an options appraisal, looking at 12 different potential buildings across the city. Trinity St David’s emerged on a complex scoring system as the best, with one of its standout features being its location, serving as a hinge between the city centre and the university campuses.
While location was key, it was also important for the board to ensure accessibility wasn’t overlooked. Sitting next to Little London – an area facing considerable deprivation – the National Poetry Centre will strive to bridge the gap between communities, fostering connections regardless of background, heritage or financial status.
Credit: Gagarin Studio Ltd
The space will be free to enter, driving maximum accessibility for as many people as possible, be it city-wide or country-wide. Visitors can expect a 250-seat auditorium, hands-on workshops, live performances, quiet areas, a cafe and so much more. Beyond that, there will be plenty of opportunities to engage with language playfully and creatively, from rearranging fridge magnets to crafting rhymes and more.
It’d be remiss to not recognize the financial benefits the centre’s set to bring to Leeds too. An in-depth economic impact analysis has found that the first 15 years of the initiative will contribute a whopping £84m to the economy, offering not just cultural enrichment but a real financial boost for the city.
“We want to help people realise just how important poetry is as a part of understanding ourselves”, Nick told us. “It helps us improve communication, it helps us feel better when we’re going through hard times, when somebody dies, when we fall in love, when we get married, it’s all around us. And we just want to celebrate the importance of poetry in our lives”.
Overall, it’s clear that Leeds is rapidly emerging as a major literary hub. With the arrival of the British Library North and a growing number of literary organisations setting up in the city, we’re poised to become one of the UK’s key centres for literature. One thing’s for sure – we can’t wait for the new centre to open its doors!
The National Poetry Centre is set to open at Trinity St David’s Church in 2028.
Cover image credit: David Lindsay
