House, 2018

‘a building for human habitation, especially one that consists of a ground floor and one or more upper storeys’

‘home, place of residence, homestead, lodging place, a roof over one’s head’

House began with the story of Robert Arthington, a rich man locally known as the Headingley Miser. He built a large house for his bride; but the bride never came. So he lived alone in one room, on half a crown a week, and received his visitors in the dark.

Around him 19th Century Headingley was growing from a country village separated from Leeds by fields and farms to a vibrant suburb, where industrialsts and imperialists alike built themselves splendid houses. The miser’s millions meanwhile were supporting missionary projects around the world. Arthington, Liberia, bears his name to this day.

Created by A Quiet Word in collaboration with members of the local community, House was a site-specific performance that explored how property and power connect Headingley and the wider world. Participants were invited behind closed doors for a conversation in the dark, and to where the present overlays the past.

#HeadingleyHouse

Events ran from Tuesday 30 January to Saturday 3 February 2019

Photos by Lizzie Coombes.