Leeds Railway Station.

[Alan Whicker]

There used to be a shop down that 'new' bit of the station called Beauty Without Cruelty - a sort of proto-Bodyshop. Much as I like the shiny new Leeds, I think they threw the baby out with the bathwater a bit when they tarted up Boar Lane - I miss all those quirky, seedy shops and the clothes places like Sprite '58. It was like a mini version of 70s New York.


Colleagues' son has just moved to Uni there from London. He can't believe how friendly (and safe) Leeds is compared to Harringay.

There was another bike shop opposite what was Dyson's Jewellers (The Time Ball buildings - now a bar like everything else). Old fashioned place - Carradice luggage, shop assistant in brown storecoat, ferociously sensible tourers and 'racers'. That kind of shop.

 

[SquareDaff]

Colleagues' son has just moved to Uni there from London. He can't believe how friendly (and safe) Leeds is compared to Harringay.

Not to digress - but remind me to tell you about the shooting incident/gang fight I got tangled up in a couple of years back - although I do agree - it is relatively safe

There was another bike shop opposite what was Dyson's Jewellers (The Time Ball buildings - now a bar like everything else). Old fashioned place - Carradice luggage, shop assistant in brown storecoat, ferociously sensible tourers and 'racers'. That kind of shop.

That's the place I'm thinking of. Visited in the early 90's. When you stepped through the door it was as if you'd been time warped back to the 50's!!

 

[postman]

Lower down could have been Motorcycle shop and bicycle shop.Watson and Cairns .

 

[Alan Whicker]

Squaredaff - i'd love to hear that!

Postman - yes, I think that was it - my mate's dad worked there. When the place shut he ended up working part time at Halford's assembling BSOs - until he realised that they paid him less than he'd get on the dole!

 

[Archie_tect]

Lower down could have been Motorcycle shop and bicycle shop.Watson and Cairns .

Hours spent in there when I was 16 and 17...

 

[classic33]

The bike shop .Could it have been something like TWO WHEELS GOOD .That seems to spring to mind .

Two Wheels Good on Call Lane. Freewheel on the junction of Duncan Street & Briggate.

To be honest not overly impressed with the station as a whole. Slight oppressive feeling to the place. Get you in & out of their hair as quick as possible. Made worse with the barriers.
Was there when the Eurostar made its first trip to the station, but the number of armed police made it feel like a place you didn't want to stay in.

 

[vernon]

Leeds is on the up, especially compared to 20 years ago. Still don't like cycling there tho'

You should have seen it 34 years ago!

The Scarborough, just outside the station, was the campaign headquarters for the Leeds United hooligans who openly plotted their offensive against the visiting fans.

There were parts of Leeds City Centre that were unsafe to walk alone in after dark.

There's still buildings shored up by scaffolding near the market that were derelict when I first arrived in 1977.

 

[vernon]

Two Wheels Good on Call Lane. Freewheel on the junction of Duncan Street & Briggate.

Probably not widely known:

Two Wheels Good - Leeds, Freewheel Cycles - Leeds and Manchester and Orbit Cycles - Sheffield were all owned by the same person.

 

[Archie_tect]

You should have seen it 34 years ago!

The Scarborough, just outside the station, was the campaign headquarters for the Leeds United hooligans who openly plotted their offensive against the visiting fans.

There were parts of Leeds City Centre that were unsafe to walk alone in after dark.

There's still buildings shored up by scaffolding near the market that were derelict when I first arrived in 1977.

If I could have bought up the area owned by Cawoods in the canal basin, I would be a multi-millionaire ...if only I'd had the foresight as a 4 year old in 1963.

 

[Beetnik]

Watson Cairns it was (no and). Bought a few bikes there over the years.

 

[Archie_tect]

Used to like getting the bus home to Woodlesford from Leeds Bus Station, opposite Quarry Hill at the bottom of The Headrow and the market in the winter- sitting at the front on the top deck going over the hump backed bridge through Stourton.

 

[SquareDaff]

Squaredaff - i'd love to hear that!

OK you asked. Without making Leeds out to be the gangster capital here goes.

Was out with Mrs Square Daff, the kiddos and relatives at the AMF Bowling alley on NYE. Had a good night - but not too drunk as it's not wise with the kids. Was staying at a hotel near the armouries that night (so didn't have to drive or pay a 2nd mortgage for a taxi) so set off around the Merrion Centre towards Vicar Lane.

My sister in laws daughter has a liver condition and must eat before medication so stopped at "Big Bite"on Wade Lane to get her some chips. Whilst we're in there about 20 blokes came running around the corner from the direction of the St Johns Centre. They split into 3 groups - with each group proceeding to beat someone up (one on the traffic island in the middle of the road, one at the bustop and the other right out side the window of the fast food place we were in. The chasers then run back over the road to a car that's just turned up. Mrs SD goes outside to see if the guy that's had a beating is OK while I ring the police. While we're doing that the driver of the car steps out and proceeds to pull a gun firing it several times in the direction of the "Merrion Hotel". We figured it was just blanks. The driver then gets back in the car and takes off towards Vicar Lane. We hang around for the ambulance and then head back to the hotel.

The next morning we get a visit from the police. Apparently the gun wasn't firing blanks and we'd found ourself in the middle of a gang fight between some Leeds and Manchester rivals. The end result was that about 7 of the Manchester gang found themselves in jail - the gun firer getting 10 years (I believe).

Putting it into context I've lived in Leeds for almost 20 years now and never had any hassles. It was an isolated incident and shouldn't put anyone off having a night out in Leeds. Mrs SD is not as confident though and hasn't been back into Leeds City Centre at nighttime since!!

 

[ColinJ]

To be honest not overly impressed with the station as a whole. Slight oppressive feeling to the place. Get you in & out of their hair as quick as possible. Made worse with the barriers.

Was there when the Eurostar made its first trip to the station, but the number of armed police made it feel like a place you didn't want to stay in.

I want to get in and out of stations as quickly as possible! Who wants to hang about in a station?

My first experience of Leeds station was in 1979. It was a pretty gloomy depressing place then, back in the good old British Rail days.

I was trying to work out which platform to go to for my train to Keighley. A couple of BR station staff were leaning against a pillar, chatting and smoking. I walked over to them and waited to speak to them. They saw me standing there, and ignored me. I waited a few seconds. They turned their backs on me. I coughed. They ignored me. It wasn't long before my train was due in so I had to be more assertive ...

"Er, excuse me ..."

"WHAT!" snapped one of the men.

"Er, could you please tell me which platform the Keighley train departs from?"

He glared at me, and stabbed a nicotine-stained finger towards a noticeboard about 100 yards down the platform.

"Can't yer f*ckin read!"

And then he turned his back on me again ...

I much prefer Leeds station now! At least the staff are willing to actually do their jobs, and act as if passengers, sorry, customers are important to them.

 

[Bromptonaut]

There was another bike shop opposite what was Dyson's Jewellers (The Time Ball buildings - now a bar like everything else). Old fashioned place - Carradice luggage, shop assistant in brown storecoat, ferociously sensible tourers and 'racers'. That kind of shop.

Is that Lower Briggate? The shop was Watson Cairns. Had a Trusty Spacemaster with their 'sold by' stickers on until about 2 years ago.

 

[Alan Whicker]

Squaredaff :