SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I was having a browse of Leodis.net and came across this picture. It's of an electricity sub-station on Harrowby Road, West Park built to look like a detached house.Does anyone know if it's still there?Also, has anyone got any info or pics of other unusually designed sub-stations around Leeds? It's nice to think that some effort went into designing them in keeping with their surroundings, but I think a detached house might be going a bit far!

There is a grand old affair on James avenue, Gledhow.

Yes, that is very much still there ro-man. These days it blends in even better. When you see it, it just looks like a run down house. It's not until you see the YE safety plaques that you realise what it is.I think the neighbouring houses must have use of the gardens as it looks like someone is growing things there!I don't know of any others like this, but maybe they are just too well hidden!

I always found substations in general a bit menacing as a kid in Manchester. Then I found out via SubBrit a couple of years ago that the entrances to either end of the huge telecoms tunnel that runs below the centre of Manchester (one of them in Ardwick), are actually DISGUISED AS Electricity substations. So now I know I am right to find them intriguing!

I agree they are a bit sinister. It's also annoying that once you take a bit of an interest in them you can't help but notice them everywhere, except possibly the ones disguised as houses!I read somewhere that in urban areas there's one every 150-200 metres, so there's plenty of them to find.There's a bloke who's done a review of sub-station architecture in Wolverhampton here. Makes quite good reading if you like that sort of thing.http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ ... ations.htm

There's a large one here in Armley - more than just a sub station from the size of it. It's similar in scale and style to the waterworks building that someone did up and converted to a house on grand designs a few years ago. I'll have to have another look at it, I'm fairly sure it's a YE structure.I'm quite a fan of 'municipal' architecture, I was up at Scar House reservoir last weekend admiring one of the larger pieces of it!

munki wrote: I always found substations in general a bit menacing as a kid in Manchester. Then I found out via SubBrit a couple of years ago that the entrances to either end of the huge telecoms tunnel that runs below the centre of Manchester (one of them in Ardwick), are actually DISGUISED AS Electricity substations. So now I know I am right to find them intriguing! It's always best to stay out of them!! I worked in the Safety department for YE for 4 years, and some of the tales of horror about people who go in for a look (or to try and steal copper!) aren't for the squeamish!I once went round the grid supply point in Kirkstall, where the National Grid at 400kv meets the regional supplier at 132kv. We only had access to the 132kv side, but walking under the bus-bars and hearing them crackle and hum was plenty scary for me.

It's not a massively unusual style, but I can't help but admire the design of substation on York Road at the side of the DSS building near the Shaftesbury.It has a certain style to it that an electricity company wouldn't even try to emulate nowadays.I wonder how many people drive past it every day and don't even notice it?