| [1] | Old Peacock, Elland Road (Beeston) |
|  1962.
This picture shows the Old Peacock as it was in the summer of 1962, with a few of the 'locals' about to board the bus for a trip to Bridlington. The men are wearing white shirts and jackets for their day out. Beyond the bus, the Shell sign is indicating the forecourt of Castle's Garage, beyond which is the row of of shops which ran at the bottom
of the Heath estate. The grandstand of the Greyhound
Stadium is visible in the far distance. This photograph was in the possession of Arthur Waller, who can be seen here, third in line, waiting to board the bus. He's the one wearing a white shirt and sporting a 'Tony Curtis' hair-cut, which, along with the 'D.A.' and the 'crew-cut' was very popular at that time. Photograph courtesy of Graham A. Schofield. |
| [2] | The Headrow, Woodhouse Lane Junction (City Centre) (4 comments) |
|  6th January 1966
View looking along Woodhouse Lane from the Headrow. Lewis's Department Store is on the right . This building was sold to Allders in 1996. A no entry buses only scheme can be seen operating. This area has now been redeveloped as the pedestrian only Dortmund Square. |
| [3] | Merrion Street, land adjoining Victoria Club (City Centre) |
|  24th July 1929.
Wasteland on Merrion Street, where a building has been demolished. In main view is the side of the Victoria Club, 51c, New Briggate - now Nash's Fish Restaurant. Shops along Merrion Street are; Parker and Co, Cabinet Makers, Brownfoot and Son, Venetian Blind Makers, Solomon Wolfson, furniture dealer. |
| [4] | Women machinists at work in a clothing factory (Unknown) |
|  Undated.
View of the interior of a clothing factory showing many women machinists at work. They are seated opposite each other at vast work tables as they operate their Singer sewing machines. The room is lit by the large windows but there are also overhead lamps suspended from the ceiling and running the length of the tables for when little or no natural daylight is available. One of the workers had the surname of Harcourt and her family came from Holbeck. There is a possibility that the photograph was taken in the wholesale clothiers, Mitchell, Walker & Co. of Ingram Road, Holbeck. The photograph would appear to date from the 1930s. Any further information, as to the exact location or the identity of the women, would be welcomed. |
| [5] | Bishopgate Street, tram no.232 (City Centre) |
|  19th May 1954.
View showing tram no.232 on Bishopgate Street alongside the City Station. This tram, advertising Tetley's Brewery and travelling on route no.12 to Middleton, is a Horsfield built between 1930 and 1931. Under the arch to the left of the picture is J. & E. Cantral, newsagents, with the 'Green Final' edition of the Yorkshire Evening Post advertised. To the right is a tunnel which leads under the station and out into Neville Street. |
| [6] | Bewerley Street Infant School, seen from the rear in Kirkland Place (Hunslet) (3 comments) |
|  4th June 1964
View showing the buildings and rear entrances of Bewerley Street Infant School. It was the first purpose built school to be erected by Leeds School Board and opened its doors to pupils on August 8th, 1873. It has classrooms with large, arched windows and behind the high wall, toilets are situated.
By the 1950s, the school was for Juniors (7 – 11 Years), the Infants having moved to a school on Hunslet Hall Road. |
| [7] | Harehills Lane, AEC Regent 111/Roe 602 Bus (Harehills) (6 comments) |
|  1966,
AEC Regent 111/Roe 602 (1950) at the junction of Harehills Lane and Roundhay Road which is to the right in this view. It is the no. 44 route to Halton Moor, registration no. NUB 602. On the left is the business of David Crawford, decorator. Taken in June 1966. |
| [8] | County Arcade, Mecca Locarno (City Centre) (141 comments) |
|  Undated,
Photo possibly dating from the early 1960s, looking from Cross Arcade into County Arcade to the front of the Mecca Locarno Ballroom. This dancehall had opened on 3rd November 1938. Mecca closed in 1969 (a new venue had been opened in 1964 in the Merrion Centre). It became The Stone in 1983 then a cafe in 1994. Notices outside give details of admission prices, varying from 2/6d early on Sunday evening (12.5p) to 6/- (30p) on Saturday nights. A special event is promoted on the round advertisement 'Midsummer Nights Dream Carnival, Wednesday 24th June, 3 bands, hats, balloons, novelties, competitions, 3/6d (17.5p). On the left edge is Vicker's gift shop, on the left of the Mecca is Greenwood's menswear business. Elster shoe shop is on the right, then Banks music in the window is on the right edge. |
| [9] | St. Mary's Hospital, exterior view (Armley) (34 comments) |
|  1960s.
View shows part of St. Mary's Hospital taken in the 1960s. This building, which faces onto Green Hill Road, was the main administrative and accommodation block. On the ground floor were admin offices, flats for assistant matrons, sitting and changing rooms and a few bedrooms for pupil midwives. On the first floor were the matron's flat and more accommodation for pupil midwives. The building once had a wooden tower with a clock above the central square turret. The hospital, which at the time catered for maternity and geriatric patients, is now part of Leeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which provides mental health and learning disability services. |
| [10] | Briggate, central reservation, watercolour painting by Pete Lapish (City Centre) (2 comments) |
|  c1954.
Watercolour painting by Pete Lapish showing the central reservation in Briggate, looking in the direction of the Headrow. A queue of people are seen boarding the tram at the end where the driver is stationed. Although the central reservation has safety barriers for the boarding passengers a woman passenger is forced to alight from the rear of the tram and will have to negotiate the traffic. This tram is on route 2, a circular route. Route 2 travels up Chapeltown Road to Moortown Corner and back to the city centre via. Roundhay Park. The Horsfield tram on route 4, background, right, is heading for Kirkstall. Pete Lapish is inspired by his nostalgia for the Leeds tramways of his boyhood, when on dark, windy evenings in the winter the lamps would sway from the wires, casting huge shadows. He uses various sources to make accurate studies of Leeds street scenes from different periods. The sports shop of Thornton & Co Ltd., seen on the left at numbers 50 & 51 Briggate, holds particular memories for him as he used to covet the tennis raquets in the window near the tram stop. Adjacent, at numbers 52 & 53 Briggate, is Manfield & Sons Ltd., boot and shoe makers.
Some images by Pete Lapish are available to purchase as postcards or greetings cards from Leeds Visitor Centre - see our 'useful links' page.
|
| [11] | Cockburn High School, Burton Road (Beeston) (87 comments) |
|  Undated.
View of Cockburn High Scool in Burton Road. It was named after Sir George Cockburn, a former Chairman of Leeds School Board and an educationalist. The school opened on 17th July 1902. |
| [12] | Little Town Terrace nos. 10, 12 (Beeston) (3 comments) |
|  28th September 1960
On the left is a boundary wall dividing the terrace from the end of Malvern Street. there were 12 cottages on Little Town Terrace, all with gardens. Number 12 is on the left, 10 to the right. |
| [13] | POW Rally, Roundhay Park (Roundhay) |
|  19th June 1945.
Re-union of returned Prisoners of War in Roundhay Park, organised by the Yorkshire Evening News POW club. The event drew together 10,000 people, 3,000 of which were ex-prisoners and 7,000 were relatives. In the centre is the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Charles Walker. This fine sunny day was later known to be the hottest day of the year. |
| [14] | Vicar Lane, east side (City Centre) |
|  c1970-73.
View shows the east side of Vicar Lane. On the right is the West Yorkshire Road Car Company Bus Station, known to locals as the Red Bus Station. This served mainly routes to the Yorkshire coast and to outlying towns such as Otley and Wetherby. Towards the left of the picture is the ABC cinema. |
| [15] | Baron Close, Children with Toys (Holbeck) |
|  Undated.
In this image two very young children, a boy and girl, can be seen with their toys just outside the Harcourt family home of number 18 Little Town Lane. The houses in the background are addressed as Baron Close, a cul-de-sac. The young boy is perched on what appears to be a horse on wheels and holds a stuffed dog. There is also a wooden dog on wheels and a drum. |
| [16] | Speedwell Street, Rear View (Woodhouse) (2 comments) |
|  1st September 1965
The backs of property on Speedwell Street run from the left of this view. Numbers run to the right in ascending order to the shop on the corner with advertisements for Melborne Ales clearly visible which is number 38. Included in slum clearance plans for the Woodhouse area. |
| [17] | Little Town Lane, number 18, Harcourt family photograph (Holbeck) |
|  Late 1920s.
View of members of the Harcourt family seated on the steep steps of number 18 Little Town Lane. The older lady at the top is Mrs. Mary Harcourt, nee Crossley. She married Robert Harcourt in 1896 and they brought up their family in this house. Seated next to her is one of her daughters, Elsie, who went on to marry Walter Nussey in 1945. Vera (left) and Geoffrey Harcourt are seen in the foreground. They are the children of Mrs. Harcourt's son, Ernest and his wife, Louie (nee Elliott). The house had a cellar kitchen, glimpsed bottom right. Little Town Lane was located between Elland Road and Cemetery Road. It is all demolished now and the M621 passes through the area. |
| [18] | Freehold Street, numbers 6A and 8 (Burmantofts) (4 comments) |
|  Undated.
Image shows delapidated properties on the south-east side of Freehold Street off York Road, about to be demolished. Of the two central shop properties the left hand one, number 8, was a grocer' which had been run by T. Smith. Old advertising signs for Mansion Polish and Colman's Mustard are still fixed to the exterior brickwork. Victoria Fisheries is adjacent on the right at number 6A. Windows are broken and there are bricks and debris strewn on the pavement.
Photograph courtesy of Terry Cryer. |
| [19] | Alderman Brook's House (Hunslet) (15 comments) |
|  Undated. Alderman Brook's house, Hunslet Lane. Large brick house now demolished. "A guide published in 1808 described Hunslet as 'a little more than a mile from Leeds'. Between the two places was a country lane - Hunslet Lane to Leeds people, and Leeds Lane to Hunslet people - and bordering it were fine residences. Of the few remaining, that know as Alderman Brook's house, is one of the most striking. It is notable for the geat number of windows, and also for the length of the building" (Mattison A and Meakin W 1908, The Romance of Old Leeds). Photograph Alf Mattison. The photographer Alfred Mattison was born in Hunslet in 1868. His passion for local history led to lecturing, photography and writing. In 1908 he wrote "The Romance of Old Leeds" based on his articles and photos for the Yorkshire Daily Observer. He died following a street accident in Leeds in Sept 1944. |
| [20] | Meanwood Beck, bridge (Meanwood) (23 comments) |
|  9th October 1950. View looking south west along the footbridge over Meanwood Beck towards Woodhouse Ridge from the Woodlands Dyeworks on Wood Lane. A stone wall is on the left and metal railings are on the right. Houses and garages are in the foreground and a streetlamp is visible. |