I was born in Leeds in 1940. My family were the first bakers in Leeds to deliver fresh baked bread by horse and cart . The bake house and shop was in Call Lane and is still there as a coffee shop / Cafe situated just below the Mucky Duck actually called the White Swan. I spent all of my childhood around all the central areas of Leeds you’ve mentioned. My sister was actually born above the shop in Call Lane when it was residential. My sister 93 now and myself 83 now live in Australia. Thank you for the wonderful memories of our childhood in Leeds . I could write endlessly about Leeds City and surrounding areas. May thanks.
being relatively young, 19, its amazing to think that Briggate was once a busy car jammed street just like headrow. I've only ever known it to be the walking area it is now. Thanks for the cool video.
I think that it's more that it was a bus jammed street with open entry at the back people jumping on and off and all the buses went to Moortown. On the way back in Vicar Lane they all went to Middleton.
Never been interested in geography or history really but I watched this video from start to finish I found it so insightful (you never realise how much history your own city holds) and your voice is so calming - keep it up!!
I took my visiting Mum to Whitelocks for the first time last weekend. She's visited Leeds many times over the last 30 years but had no idea that the side streets existed or what they contained! She really enjoyed this video when I shared it with her 👍
Really enjoyed this! Had no idea there was still traffic on Briggate in my lifetime (born 1992) but I guess I was too young to really remember it that way.
'Shambles' comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'fleshammels' which means 'flesh (meat) shelves'. The abbatoirs and butchers might have been located on Briggate due to its proximity to the river where the animal waste could be easily disposed.
thank you for this video! we used to live in leeds and we went every few years so our kids could stay in contact with the city they were born (until the pandemic) now we are living in argentina but always makings plans for our next trip to the amazing yorkshire!
In my childhood in the fifties there was an underground public toilet, the entrance to which was in the centre of Briggate at the Boar Lane junction. It had an attendant who kept the doors and their brass locks highly polished. There was a washroom section where you could have a "wash and brushup" for 3 old pence, or six old pence, I can’t remember which. I'm wondering what remains of it underground. At the same location was a Tardis style Leeds City Police police box. I can remember seeing Tommy Steel at the Empire, and later Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochrane, Joe Brown and Billy Fury who were on a UK tour. Eddie Cochrane was killed a couple of weeks later near Bath. One architecturally interesting building you didn't mention is the Thornton India Rubber Manufacturer building adjoining M & S. I’ve often wondered about its story. Must 'look it up' sometime. Your video brought back some memories. I very rarely go to the city centre these days. It's been ruined. Cheers.
Thank you for adding your memories - It is really interesting. I remember the public toilets. I think there may be some parts of them still under Briggate.
Thanks for this insight into the streets of Leeds. Back in the 70s and early 80s, I used to visit the place regularly but since moving away from the area around 40 years ago, I haven't been to the City in over 35+ years. Just like everywhere else, it's changed beyond recognition - most of our "favourite High Street names" have disappered, no traffic, a lot of pedestrianisation but not many people either. It seems our towns and cities have lost their "souls". Sad really.
Thanks for these Videos, your rarely find good Leeds content. I didn't know about the market on the street despite living in Leeds, I don't go to Leeds on Sundays due to horrible bus connection to my village so I've never seen it.
Thank you Geog , it looks nice and clean. But there are lots of old buildings standing empty. I don't understand why they don't rent them out for people to live in, instead building new one. 💁 Would be nice. 🌸
4:25 That was at morning rush hour, in the spring. Winter clothes have yet to be shed, but the morning sun is casting shadows. I remember being with my uncle teaching my aunt to drive in his old Ford Anglia (the one prior to the Harry Potter style, which can be seen as the second car on the right behind the Hillman Minx Series III), and Briggate was considered highly congested if there were this many vehicles. The traffic-light post seems very short. 4:30 Debenhams - that used to be Matthias Robinson - the only place where my school uniform could be bought, and being an upmarket shop clothes were expensive for a council house lad off to grammar school. 9:19 My grandfather always called the pub _the Turk's Head_ , but it was generally known as _Whitelocks_, but pronounced "Witlocks" with a short "i". 10:18 How did the burgages come to permit thoroughfares (and, I assume, rights of way) across them? 12:00 What has happened to all the people? When I lived in Leeds not only was Briggate full of trams, buses and cars, but people jammed the footways. Has the city centre died?
Thanks for all the memories you have shared. Just for info, I choose a fine day and go early to get many of my clips and avoid the crowds. I shot the lower section of Briggate at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, for example.
Briggate was pedestrianised to get Harvey Nichols to open a store in Leeds. They refused to do so unless the whole area was pedestrianised. If I’d been in charge I’d have told them to get stuffed! Most people won’t want to pay stupid prices like £500 (or more) for a handbag!
@@safirahmed That does not surprise me in the slightest! Harvey Nichols is just a huge rip-off! Why it was enticed to open a store on Leeds I’ll never know. I went in once just to see what all the hype was about it, but the prices were just silly £££! I’m surprised anyone buys anything.
@@nigelkthomas9501 I agree, however for such a store to exist demonstrates the existence of serious wealth in Leeds and surrounding areas where Harvey Nichols prices are seen as reasonable.
@@safirahmed HN prices are anything but reasonable! However, you might be right about some people having plenty of £££ to splash, but even if I was well off I still think it’s way OTT to pay £500 for a handbag when there’s M&S a few doors down. You’ll get one in there for a tenth of that price, maybe even less.
@@nigelkthomas9501 Yes, indeed for multimillionaires who have grown up in families with such wealth their concept of expensive products could be greater than annual incomes for the average person. There are RU-vid channels that have computer voices that read comments originally posted on Reddit about how the wealthy view the world. The Apprentice on the BBC is one example where the prize fund of £250,000 is life changing money for most people yet to a low value billionaire could be the equivalent of 2 pence in comparison to the billionaire's wealth.
Hi there I worked on the pack horse many many years ago I was a labourer at the time my two colleagues were Clive kennings a Malcolm Foster who has now sadly passed away the main contractors was a company from Beeston called J pullins and son I was given the job go into the loft where the Oak roof trusses were and to take off all of the loose wood with a wire brush I loved it because once I was in the loft I was left to my own the bosses didn't want to come up because he was at dusty unknown to anyone I carved my name in to one of the Oak beams and dated it
Hi Peter, Unfortunately I don't but I will look out for it, now you have mentioned him. By lower end do you mean close to where Shannon Street joins Marsh Lane? Is there anything specifically you are researching? BTW, one of my first Leeds Local History videos was about the Bank area.
