On 7th March, Chambers celebrated its 150th birthday in style at Grantley Hall. Members past and present and esteemed guests attended to mark the occasion.
Ahead of the big day, Joel Wootten spent some time diving into the archives at Leeds City Library to uncover the rich history of 39.
Park Square was built in 1810 as a residential square for the well-to-do of Leeds, away from the filth of the factories and river but a short enough commute to the city’s commercial centre.
There were several individuals who made 39 their home in the early part of the 19th Century. Its longest-term resident was Reverend Edward Cookson, who lived at 39 between 1834 to 1857.
When he moved into 39, Reverend Cookson was the incumbent atSt Mary’s Church in Quarry Hill. In 1838, the year of Queen Victoria’s coronation, Cookson took up a new post as vicar of at St John’s in Sharow.
Despite being built as private residences for the likes of Reverend Cookson, as the 19th century progressed and the Industrial Revolution gathered pace, the houses on Park Square increasingly became places of work. In that respect, number 39 was no different.
By 1861, Reverend Cookson had moved out of 39 and a businessman (precise profession unknown) named William Booker had moved in remained at 39 until 1867.
In 1867, a drysalter named Samuel Nussey moved in and remained at 39 until 1872. That year, an architect named Stephen Smith began practicing out of the building.
Barristers at 39 Park Square
Prior to 1876, the area that now makes up the North Eastern Circuit was split between the Northern Circuit and the Midlands Circuit.
Leeds and other cities in Yorkshire and the North East were becoming increasingly important commercial centres, meaning the services of barristers were in greater demand than ever. Local barristers, as opposed to counsel from Manchester or Birmingham, were more than capable of meeting the needs of the area. It is within that context that the North Eastern Circuit was formed in February 1876.
That same year, another professional began working out of 39 - Edward Tindal Atkinson.
Atkinson was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1870 with First Class Honours. On 10th June that same year, he was called to the bar by The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.
When Atkinson began practising out of 39, he shared the space with Smith, who was still running his architecture practice out of the building, now in partnership with a Mr Tweedale.
For a man of only 6 years call, Atkinson already had an illustrious career, sitting as a County Court Judge alongside his own practice.
Atkinson remained the only barrister practising out of 39 for a decade when, in 1886, Charles Felix Palmer joined the ranks. Palmer was called to the Bar by Middle Temple on January 1886. At the time of his joining 39, he remained a door tenant at 3 DrJohnson’s Buildings in London.
By the following year of 1887, the number of barristers at 39 doubled to 4: Atkinson and Palmer were joined by John Arthur Heaton and Louis Kershaw.
As the final decades of the 19th Century progressed, more barristers joined 39. Other buildings on the Square followed its lead and it quickly became one of the most concentrated areas of lawyers outside of The Temple in London.
Since 1876 there have been 7 monarchs, 32 Prime Ministers and 2 World Wars. However, through those years of turbulence and upheaval, one thing has remained a constant: a barristers’ chambers at 39 Park Square.
Its members look forward to an exciting and prosperous future.
