The Old Seacroft Shopping Centre

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
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Scotteh2k8
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu 24 Jan, 2008 8:26 pm

Post by Scotteh2k8 »

Everytime I shop at Tesco Extra, I can't help but try getting my bbearings annd trying to figure out what and where the shops were that used to be in the old shopping centre. I know it was demolished in 1999 when i was 11, annd there is near to no information about it on Google, not even Wikipedia mentions much. Google Earth doesnt display anything, just the foundations from when it was flattened and before Tesco Extra was built.So what do I remember???Well I remember it was two stories, and also had shops on the outside too, including a parade of shops next to the Job Centre.I remember there was a square courtyard like area where you entered the upper floor with a cafe on the outside. I remember there was a multistory carpark located out the back of the centre, and also there was a bridge leading over to the flats next to the centre. I also remember the manky underground type car park with weird crazy gunge dangling from the ceiling, which was accessed via the old bus station.I remember the old stain glass windows at the back on the place too.Some shops that I remember:On the outside parade there were... Alison James Opticians, Ladbrooks and thats all I remember for that!Inside upstairs I remember there being a Cobblers, Barbers, a Butchers, Canniman (lol), and I think thats all I remember!Downstairs I remember the massive Market, Wimpy Cafe, Co-Op, Quick Save, DIY shop, there was a big stage or something downstairs too, there was also a cool goods store cant remember what it was called though but it was called Patells or something.Im sure I could remember some other shops when I thought about this thread but cant think of anymore now!I also think I have a couple of pics which ill post if I find them but if any of you guys can remember anything ir have any pics of the inside with shops, then please share and we can try putting some sort of bug image together
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jeffn
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Joined: Fri 04 May, 2007 1:12 am

Post by jeffn »

don't forget the chippie, remember walking up from foxwood on a lunch time to get a bag of chips with scraps

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Croggy
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Post by Croggy »

It was opened by the Queen - and the pub in there was therefore called the Sovereign, believe.There was a carpet shop ... think he moved to Crossgates Road? Found this on Leodis

Squatch_11
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Joined: Tue 20 Mar, 2007 7:39 am

Post by Squatch_11 »

When I started at YE at Limewood Approach in 1991, I used to have the choice of getting either the ring road bus (8 or 9) or the 5/14/15 from the Gamecock to the Seacroft Centre from Farnley. I generally took the 14/15 as it was miles quicker, the downside was I had to walk through the empty Seacroft Centre to work every morning, at about 8am.As I remember it, there was the job centre at the front, with the chippy and Yorky Bank off to the left, post office and chemists off to the right. Through the doors into the centre itself, all I can recall is that there was a freezer-type shop, and a YE shop in the far right hand corner. Then some steps at the back to take you down into the gloomy car park.It was very odd up top, with a mixture of old flats and random car parks.Out the back, there was a footbridge connecting the centre to a block of flats about 6 storeys up.Pretty grim towards the end, but must have looked good when it was built......

edgey2001
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Joined: Wed 11 Apr, 2007 7:33 am

Post by edgey2001 »

My Granparents lived in Bailey Towers so I used to walk up to the centre on many occasion, Coming in from Seacroft Creasant, I recall a cafe on the righthandside with a Pepsi sign sticking out, Then a butchers on the left, further in on the left, there was a market hall which was like something out of 'Total Recall', no natural light and it stank to high heaven with rotten meat and fruit all over the place. I have no idea why they built a big stage in the middle, maybe for the kids to play on while there parents were getting sloshed in the Soveriegn. Apart from that, it wasnt too bad. Later on (early 90's) when my grandmother wasn't too well, I used to go up to do her shopping for her and it just seemed to deteriorate very quickly indeed. A very scary place to be in its latter days.

kierentc
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Joined: Sun 13 Jan, 2008 10:01 am

Post by kierentc »

my mum had a market stall there so i remember that the most. there was a stall that sold broken biscuits and chocolate teacakes. and a record stall, the owner of which i used to drive mad hanging around. i also remember a stall selling wool of all things...when i was in my short lived knitting phase. theres were quite a few rows of stall iircthere was also a huge second hand clothes stall that went the whole length of one of the aisles. i used to sit and chat with the man who ran it for hours, and he used to buy me sweets. imagine someone doing that with a 8-9 year old girl now? they wouldn't dare for fear of what people would say :-(i also remember the stage. sometimes it had rails round it, and steps up to it, and sometimes not. i've no idea why they kept changing iton the corner of the main hall where the stage was and the bit that went down to the market was a big toy shop. i think i drove them mad hanging around too lol

ReddaDrops
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Joined: Sat 26 Jan, 2008 2:10 pm

Post by ReddaDrops »

easy scott w, the old seacroft centre, haha loved that place, many many fond memories of it, but there was no quick save?now here goes, on the top floor was, the fish n chippie, skyliner i think it was called, which was in the main enterance to the upstairs, inside we had a house n home, romart, YeB, a travle agents oppsite yeb, with stairs at both sides (nxt to romarts and travle agents) there was also a shoe shop, and a cobblers, a pet shop, hair dressers, and a ciggy shop called, checkmates, a wiegh and save, greggs, jack fulton, alison james(outside) FourBoys, wine celler, ladbrokes, on the bottom floor (via the ramp or stairs) was a Lo-Cost (supermarket) a Co-Op, Patels bike/toy shop, Patels DIY shop, wimpy which later changed to bites, a smallish market, Cannyman(cheap but good) the cafe opposite cannyman, Co-op Chemist, The soveriegn Pub, A womans clothe shop run by a little asian lady, Round the back was gala bingo, ymas ambulance, greenline taxis, and on north parkway we had the path finder, around the back next to queens view there was a rent office, and sandroys fancy dress, there used to be a youthy next to the library also.near the main entrance towards seacroft village, was a row of about 3 banks. around 2/3 underground carparks, one closed off only for use by the shop keepers/workers, over ground car parks aswell, How about the Bogs behind co op? on the back top carpark? as a kid, they [edited for content] the [edited for content] out me!! well thats as much as i can remember at the mo, i was 13 when they started the demolition work in april 1999 and had many fin times going in to all the closed off shops by climbing the big blue fence that encircled the centre,
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arry_awk
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Joined: Wed 30 May, 2007 11:22 am

Post by arry_awk »

I'm talking 1967 to1971, here! When I was a van sales repI used to call at a Halford's Cycles branch in Seacroft Centre.Halford's closed during that period I think and the shop probably became Patel's later? Can't remember muchelse about the centre which always seemed gloomy and grey!Arry.

simonm
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Post by simonm »

When I first left shcool at the turn of the 70's 80's I had a job for a number of months at Butchers on Bogart hill drive. For the life of I can't remember the miserable old gets name. However, I digress slightly. Every Sat morning I had to load the van and get it to the centre for the Sat trade up at the indoor makret there! I always thought the place was so depressing at the time. Seems I'm not the only one! Roger somebody or other, god, thats annoying!
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chameleon
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Post by chameleon »

arry awk wrote: I'm talking 1967 to1971, here! When I was a van sales repI used to call at a Halford's Cycles branch in Seacroft Centre.Halford's closed during that period I think and the shop probably became Patel's later? Can't remember muchelse about the centre which always seemed gloomy and grey!Arry. Hey arry - I think you and I are a little older than those writing above us!Yes there was a Halfords but I'm not sure that was what became Patels, though they did sell cycles. The stage you talk about kierentc was actually the covering put on top of the large pond - that could be covered over to use (as a stage) for events but became permanent as the pond effort became 'problematic'!You'll probably not remember either that it used to be open to the elements, the roof came much later.I'm interested to hear your mum worked in the market, I wonder when that was? I used to help on a large toy stall there while still at school, but that was in the early days of the Seacroft Civic Centre as it was first known - late 60's!There are some happy memories from then actually, the traders were a friendly bunch, and there were many changed over the years. In the end, I think it was pull it down before the rapidly failing concrete structure fianlly fell down!

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