Welcome To Leeds Society of Architects

Colonel Thomas Harding's Italianate towers form a distinctive landmark on the Leeds skyline. The design of the factory was heavily influenced by his love for Italian architecture and art.

The most notable features of Tower Works are the three towers that give it its name and served as chimneys for the factory. The largest and most ornate tower is based on the iconic Giotto campanile (bell tower) in Florence. The smaller ornate tower is based on the Lamberti Tower in Verona. A third plain tower, built as part of Harding's final phase of expansion in 1919, is thought to represent a Tuscan tower house. All three are listed structures, the two ornate towers being Grade II * and the plain tower Grade II.

Today the site that, for most people, epitomises Holbeck Urban Village and the industrial revolution in Leeds, stands empty. The site was acquired by Yorkshire Forward in May 2005 and is set to become a flagship development for the area. Plans for a lighting installation, to illuminate the towers by night, have been developed as part of a public arts strategy for the area.