SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

so i was talking to my mum about tunnels n how i need to see the supposed streets complete with shops under the whip pub or sumat in town. she works at the burtons warehouse on hudson road where montague burton started his clothing empire, she was tellin me bout the old part of the building like the big old sewing room where u can still see the fixings n stuff still in the floor where the sewing machines used to be etc but she mentioned theres aparent tunnels underneath the building,where the old cloth dock is. asking her again she says theres a whole load of different passageways all leading off in different directons but never ventures down properly in her words that!she found one just the other day by accident by following sumone on a skive n she bin there for over 10 years! big old locked door with a big old dusty lock on it could tell its not been touched in ages. supposed little buildings n such under ther aswel, does anybody else know or heard of anything else like this under there? it opposite the old cemetary with st. james's on other side    

Look at the back of Burton's on the grass field always cut niceyou can see the wide steps for mass movement of people to 3 sets of air raid shelters always wanted to go down these shelters, remember when i lived in the area as a kid the Burton's summer fair was always a good one the summer warm and a very good day out

biggee99 wrote: Look at the back of Burton's on the grass field always cut niceyou can see the wide steps for mass movement of people to 3 sets of air raid shelters always wanted to go down these shelters, remember when i lived in the area as a kid the Burton's summer fair was always a good one the summer warm and a very good day out With 10,000 workers on that site the air raid shelters must have been quite something. Wonder if they are still there?I remember the summer fair at Burtons but have clearer memories of the factory outings. I went on Burtons annual outings to London and Liverpool with a steamer trip across to Llandudno in the early 1950's.I think on the London trip they needed 2 special trains. They also had outings to the theatre.My mother and 3 aunts all worked at Burtons just after the war and into the 1950s, so sometimes aged about 5 I would be taken into the factory and spend a day there with the ladies in my mother's office. I also remember whist drives which were held in the huge factory floor, mostly occupied by machines, and children's xmas parties. I also remember the sight of all those hordes of workers, mainly women leaving the factory at 5pm. I think they still used to blow the factory hooter in those days and they would all teem out. Not something you ever see these days except at a football match.

just found out sum more , my mum asked sumone who been there around 40 years or so and he said the bunkers are under where biggee says, underneath where bowling green is , he says he remembers when he just started they uncovered them all and then filled them all in with all the old sewing machines etc and then covered them back over theres a tunnel leading from there (the bowling green) and right under the old G.E capital building and under the fields to where the new car park is apparently theres sumat under the field and car park aswell but i dont kno what.apparently the hospital owns the land burtons is on or sumat and the lease for the building runs out pretty soon so they want to pull down the building to make a car park!!but ther not allowed to touch just the front part where it says burtons , the rest they can pull down,u kno i always thought we could do with another car park!! absolutely criminal if they do this

I used to go to the old Butons warehouse sales in the 80's got some great bargains too.They should organise tours of these underground tunnels and PhilD should be allowed to document them for posterity.

There's a small piece on the BBC Leeds site today about Burtons which includes a short video showing work in the factory.http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/leeds/hi/pe ... 388460.stm

chameleon wrote: There's a small piece on the BBC Leeds site today about Burtons which includes a short video showing work in the factory.http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/leeds/hi/pe ... 388460.stm A bit before my mam worked there (judging by the fashions)