Air raid shelter ouutside Boots in Headingley?

[leeds_girlie]

That picture is so exciting, I only live 5 mins from there! I wanna go exploring!

[drapesy]

leeds_girlie wrote: I don't know what the building where Boots is was during the war, but pictures on Leodis show it was Boots in the 1960s, so maybe it could have been an independent chemist/pharmacy before then? My guess would be that this was a Boots branch even in World War II - they're a long established firm, according to Wikipedia they had 500 branches as long ago as the Great War (1914-18 ).I would suggest that Boots basement was adapted/strengthened in order to be an air-raid shelter for the nearby shops and possibly even the school which was nearby on Bennett Lane (relocated a few years ago), and the cover is an emergency escape hatch from same. If we could get access to the basement I'm confident this could be confirmed.    

[Si]

I agree, Drapesy, that's my thinking.Most air-raid shelters were not proof against a direct hit, and therefore a cellar (sometimes reinforced) was an expedient solution. They mainly gave protection from blast and flying debris. Some weren't even underground (see above.) They were made of brick, reinforced with iron bars, with a concrete roof and a dog-leg entrance. There used to be one of these in the playground of Waterloo Junior School, Pudsey.The picture above was taken in the Armley Jail area, and you can see the shelters built in the street. I hope the shelter lived up to it's name when the house was hit.(Leodis pic.)    

[drapesy]

I lived in a back-to-back in Burley a few years ago and in the cellar , directly under the stairwell, you could see where beams had been put across the ceiling to strengthen it and form a makeshift air raid shelter.

[MatRpanir]

I've seen something similar in Kirkstall, the front room of the cellar had loads of rusty rsj type joists across it and was said to be for use as a shelter. I was also told that some council houses in Leeds had small above ground shelters, I only found this out when I was helping a friend knock down a brick built shed in her garden in Burley. I seemed a little well built for a shed, at least 10in thick reinforced concrete roof and v thick brick walls with steel reinforcement all the way through, so I'm inclined to believe it must have been something more than a garden shed. It was bloody hard work but at least someone else had already dealt with the roof which was apparently the hardest bit.

[rangieowner]

MatRpanir wrote: I've seen something similar in Kirkstall, the front room of the cellar had loads of rusty rsj type joists across it and was said to be for use as a shelter. I was also told that some council houses in Leeds had small above ground shelters, I only found this out when I was helping a friend knock down a brick built shed in her garden in Burley. I seemed a little well built for a shed, at least 10in thick reinforced concrete roof and v thick brick walls with steel reinforcement all the way through, so I'm inclined to believe it must have been something more than a garden shed. It was bloody hard work but at least someone else had already dealt with the roof which was apparently the hardest bit. many of my old neighbours used to have these when i lived in horsforth, nearly all are gone now tho. Next time i'm over at my mums I'll see if there are any still in the area and i'll get some piccys!!

[Si]

Here's a Leodis pic of a brick air raid shelter under construction. Notice the iron reinforcing bars.

[Si]

...and what happens from a near miss....

[MatRpanir]

The piccy of the one under construction could almost be the one I helped demolish, had a quick search on leodis but couldn't find it in the Burley area so I assume it can't be.The near miss pic really shows how useful all those yards of steel reinforcing rods were, those shelters were really knocked about but still standing, incredible.

[Si]

Hi MatRpanir,It's a back garden on Cookridge Lane, according to Leodis.