Railway Street: First look at new affordable housing development to be named after Leeds suffragette

54North Homes’ new affordable and sustainable development, currently being built on Railway Street in Leeds, is to be named ‘Leonora House’ in memory of Leeds born suffragette, Leonora Cohen, who was also one of the UK’s first female magistrates.

She was born Leonora Throp in Hunslet, Leeds, in 1873 and worked as an apprentice milliner before marrying Henry Cohen, a watchmaker and jeweller. From 1909-1913 she was one of the prominent fighters for women’s suffrage, culminating in her being jailed twice, first in Holloway and then in Armley Jail, and ending up on hunger strike.

Joanna Chambers, Director of Assets and Growth at 54North Homes, said: “We wanted to recognise and celebrate an influential and inspiring Leeds born woman in the naming of the building. We chose Leonora Cohen whose grit and determination throughout her life paved the way for women’s rights of the future.”

Leonora House is being built on the site of the old Yorkshire Rider Social Club, on Railway Street, near Quarry House. Work began in Spring 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2024. The development comprises 28 one-bedroom, 25 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom apartments designed to a high specification throughout.

The £12 million scheme is the first new-build development to be built by affordable housing provider, 54North Homes, which manages over 3,000 homes throughout Yorkshire. Funding has been provided by Homes England Strategic Partnership funding, Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, through its devolved Brownfield Housing Fund.

The homes will be energy efficient and will feature a flexible layout, including workspace areas to accommodate the increase in home working. Outside the property’s there will be landscaped gardens with grass and trees to enhance biodiversity and each of the ground floor apartments will have their own garden.

Cohen’s activism didn’t end with women being granted the vote. In 1923, she became the first woman president of the Yorkshire Federation of Trades Councils and in 1924 she was appointed as one of the first female magistrates in the country.