SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Cardiarms wrote: On a slight tangent, spotted this sign for Hollis Place in Burley, Leeds 3. It's a recycled sign for Seaforth Terrace in Leeds 9. I assumed Seaforth Terrace must have been buldozed but it's still there. Why? That is an intriguing and also very odd sign!

Si wrote: BLAKEY wrote: Si wrote: Lamb Hill, 1906. Obviously before Sammy Ledgard's depot was built, but I'm guessing the brewery and malthouses were his. The marked P.H. is the Nelson Inn/Hotel. Blakey will know for sure! In the next day or two I'll ask my historian friend to clarify this Si, but I'm pretty sure that the "Armley Brewery" on this 1906 map is not Samuel's brewing and bottling place, although the malthouses on the opposite side of Armley Road (about where the multistorey flats now stand) were his and were connected underground to the cellar of the Nelson. This is quite a complex development period but will do my best to "nail it." Cheers, Blakey! My knowledgeable pal has given me the gist of this now and, as I thought, the "Armley Brewery" on the 1906 map was nothing to do with Samuel Ledgard at any time. That brewery eventually moved to Halifax, lock stock and barrel (no pun intended) and the premises were taken over by Philips Yeast Company - proof of this could be found in the pungent stench which pervaded the area thereafter. The Ledgard brewery was adjacent, very close indeed, to the rear of SL's Armley Road premises and the premises remain with tall chimney - it is a credit to the new Indian Restaurant owner of the Nelson that these features have been retained. I took some pictures during the protracted Nelson refurbishment but have mislaid them already - will do my best to find them.

There are a couple of mentions of Football, Yeadon on this thread but no notion of how it came to be named so. Anyone?

Working as i do for a telephone company and have done for some times. I remember one day been given my first job for the day on Football and my second at The Wicket and my third at headingley at the cricket ground I thought someone was having me on.        

stevief wrote: There's a 'Whack House Lane' in Yeadon.Could it be as cruel as it sounds? stevief mentions Whack House Lane in the post dated 25-Sep-2007 on page 2 of this thread. While looking for something unrelated today I happened to come across Old Whack House Lane and I then also found Whack House Lane (both in Yeadon) on looking at a Google map. Whack House is a great name. I've tried to find information if there is/was a Whack House but I've not been readily able to find anything (even in Leodis). I wonder if anyone knows anything of a Whack House, or at least why there is such a name as it sounds like there should be some history behind it!

I took the same interest in this subject as you do a few months ago Leodian, so I did a little research. Whack House appears (named as such) as part of a group of buildings comprising what was apparently a farm unit on the 1850s OS map in "splendid isolation" amidst fields. Following down through the years on the various maps, the main building, and one or two others still exist and are in occupation. The site is the junction of the present Westfield Drive and Ghyll Mount. Fetching this up on googlemaps will show a good condition stone building in the midst of other homes of brick construction. I am certain someone with better computer skills than mine will be along shortly to post a view. Hope this helps. Additional:- I also seem to recall finding a reference to "Whack House" being a later derivation of "Watch House". I cannot recall where I saw this, but also remembered from my childhood being told that the "Watch" was an early name for a pre- police type of local constabulary, but can find no reference to this in dictionaries or on the internet.    

Thanks jim for that information, which is much appreciated. As there must have been a first Whack House Lane then I wonder when Old Whack House Lane came to be so called, as presumably it was the first Whack House Lane. Mind you, when I still went to see Leeds United at Elland Road very many years back the Old Peacock pub was the new one and the New Peacock pub was the old one!

"Old" could of course refer to either the lane or to the house Leodian. Nothing like causing extra confusion!

jim wrote: "Old" could of course refer to either the lane or to the house Leodian. Nothing like causing extra confusion! Hiya jim. I've just had a skeg at a list of street names in Leeds and found it listed 33 that started with a separate 'Old' and 47 with a separate 'New' (thus I did not count such as for example the several Newton's in LS7). As 'New Briggate' is a more recent road than 'Briggate' I suspect it was thought best to retain the 'Briggate' and not call it 'Old Briggate'. I wonder though why some streets are called 'Old' and some called 'New'. I have not checked to see how many 'Old' and 'New' pairs there are (assuming there are some) that have the same rest of the street name.    

I think in this case (Whack House) I'll go for "old" as in "ex" - parrot like!