| Description | The Laurels, St John's North, Wakefield. Mid to late 19th century which later became linked by a connecting corridor to the adjacent 1925 nurses' hostel.
The Laurels was the subject of an archaeological assessment by Elizabeth Chamberlin in 2007. This was undertaken in advance of the demolition of the adjacent 1925 nurses' hostel for redevelopment into flats and town houses (Wakefield Council planning reference number 07/00434/FUL)(see PRN13002). The villa was also subject to redevelopment as it was connected. The photographic images produced by the assessment of the villa are held by WYAAS in the digital image archive (Chamberlin, E. (WYAAS). 2007).
Chamberlin describes the villa as shown on the 1894 OS 2nd edition 6' map (sheet 248) and was likely to date from the 1860s/70s. The villa has a cellar with keeping shelves and stone slabs. Original surviving feature include ceiling rose, decorative corbels, cornice and stained and decorated glass in the windows (Chamberlin, E. (WYAAS). 2007. 'The Laurels, St John's North, Wakefield').
The villa became connected to the adjacent nurse's hostel by a connecting corridor probably in the early 20th century, possibly for the use of nurses on night duty (Chamberlin, E. (WYAAS). 2007. '1 St John's North. Former Nurses' Hostel Wakefield'). |