SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Here's a photo of Off Yard near Marsh Lane in 1901.What's the tall building in the distance? It seems rather high and rather angular for that era.http://tinyurl.com/275jjhz

Geordie-exile wrote: Here's a photo of Off Yard near Marsh Lane in 1901.What's the tall building in the distance? It seems rather high and rather angular for that era.http://tinyurl.com/275jjhz Got me beat, but I only have the 1908 map and the yards are gone.In that area there is an old three floor grain warehouse backing onto the viaduct on its northern side (York St) and is still there today as a refurbished set of offices - that's tall, but I can't quite square it with the map/photo

Here is Off Yard in the 1850 map, just north of Off street. Don't know what the building is     

I've taken a look at the 1890 McCorqudale map of the area, and agree completely with Parksider's identification of the building. The railway makes a sharp ( for a railway ) turn to the right just past where the viaduct goes out of view due to the angle that the picture has been taken. Placing a rule on the map following the straight section of the viaduct places the warehouse exactly where it appears, and the doubt expressed will be due to the foreshortening effect created by the photograph. In particular note how indistinct the warehouse appears. I know that the atmosphere would be polluted, but most of the effect would be due to distance. It could, conceivably, be the five or six story warehouse across the yard from the one backing onto the viaduct, but that would be less likely.    

Geordie-exile wrote: Here's a photo of Off Yard near Marsh Lane in 1901.What's the tall building in the distance? It seems rather high and rather angular for that era.http://tinyurl.com/275jjhz Doesn't the squalor of these yards make you cringe ??    We look at these views with genuine interest in the past, but I think we tend to forget and indeed we've never experienced, the conditions portrayed. Imagine serious undiagnosed illness with no cure, harsh employment with no sick pay, holidays or security, unintended poorly babies arriving to that dark harsh existence, no heating or sanitation, no telephones, no affordable transport, no bargain shops.......and so on. I don't mean to depress everyone, but when we grouse about things today we haven't really got it so bad have we ??

The Parksider wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: Here's a photo of Off Yard near Marsh Lane in 1901.What's the tall building in the distance? It seems rather high and rather angular for that era.http://tinyurl.com/275jjhz Got me beat, but I only have the 1908 map and the yards are gone.In that area there is an old three floor grain warehouse backing onto the viaduct on its northern side (York St) and is still there today as a refurbished set of offices - that's tall, but I can't quite square it with the map/photo I would say that the building is the old granary used to play there when kids when not been chased all over by the railway poilce

Thanks. I can't quite get my head around which part of the railway viaduct features in the picture through. Can anyone pinpoint where we're looking from on Google Street View? In other words, what would the view be today?

After the previous c1890 map , Brussells st was slightly moved southwards, and extended to the west to run around where Off street was previously. Off yard was approximately halfway between duke St and brick St , so would be where the blue mark is on the google view

Here is map from 1854 and clearly shows in a straight line from the Off yard that Leeds & Selby station on Marsh Lane is directly behindThese photos on Flickr show the probable warehouse in the background.http://www.flickr.com/photos/thanoz/536474733/

Mystery building is square on though.And as Blakey says, the squalor of the past is good to understand and recognise how well off we are now, we mustn't romanticise it. Though it does look much more interesting.