Armley prison-The hangman's tunnel

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
geoffb
Posts: 342
Joined: Fri 23 Feb, 2007 9:53 am

Post by geoffb »

Chrism wrote: The Ballad of Joseph Myers - Jon Rennardhttp://youtu.be/2316yT3FVn0 Coincidentally the last person to be hanged at Armley was Zsiga Pankotia for the Murder of a Leeds Market stall holder called Eli Myers in 1961

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Post by iansmithofotley »

Chrism wrote: The Ballad of Joseph Myers - Jon Rennardhttp://youtu.be/2316yT3FVn0 Hi Chrism,Thank you for posting this. I have never been really interested in folk music and I have never heard of Jon Rennard other than his name has cropped up on this site a few times. However, having listened to his music, I like his singing and guitar playing very much and have just spent some time listening and watching him perform on several videos on You Tube.I realise that this is going 'off topic' but I was also impressed with this music and video about Leeds and the video is particularly relevant to this site:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM39ZloEuSUThanks again.Ian

stutterdog
Posts: 859
Joined: Mon 15 Jun, 2009 4:46 pm

Post by stutterdog »

geoffb wrote: Chrism wrote: The Ballad of Joseph Myers - Jon Rennardhttp://youtu.be/2316yT3FVn0 Coincidentally the last person to be hanged at Armley was Zsiga Pankotia for the Murder of a Leeds Market stall holder called Eli Myers in 1961 I lived in the shadow of Armley Jail as we called it in Gloucester Ave. I wish I had a pound for all the times I've walked past the Hangmans Tunnel. From about 1952 our gang would play football on what was then a disused bowling green just over the wall from the main gate pictured, presumably for the warders recreation.We played against the wardens kids of similar age to ourselves. There were living quarters for them around the prison. We called it the jail quarters. There was no road with yellow lines then and even the tunnel had not been bricked up! Rather, it was full of soil and rubble which sloped backwards into the tunnel but there was room to enter the tunnel to a length of 10ft! It was bricked up in the late 50's I would think. I remember quite a few hangings at trhe jail throughout my childhood. On hanging days ,a small iron gate that led from Gloucester View onto Gloucester Terr which led up to the main gate was always chained and locked. Why I do not know as the wall there was only 4ft high and was easily climbed! Having also looked at the RAF bomb damage picture I think it also shows a house in my street which was flattened in 1941. Our house had a near miss as we lived almost opposite!
ex-Armley lad

Uno Hoo
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Joined: Fri 20 Jun, 2008 2:04 pm

Post by Uno Hoo »

During my professional life I was a frequent visitor to HMP Armley (and quite a lot of other nicks throughout the UK. I hasten to add that my profession was entirely legitimate!Once, on arrival, I found that the security staff were highly amused. Earlier that day a coach had driven up Gloucester Terrace, and parked. Not unusual, as prisoners are often transferred between gaols on coaches. However, the passengers on this particular coach were Japanese, who began to take pictures and videos, which did concern security staff, who went to investigate. The Japanese apparently smiled and bowed, exclaiming "Reeds Casser, Reeds Casser." It transpired that they were all tourists who had been collected from their London hotel for an excursion to Leeds Castle. The (English) coach driver didn't know that the castle is near Maidstone, in Kent, and instead drove up the M1 to Yorkshire, and upon seeing Leeds Prison up on its hill as the coach traversed the gyratory system, assumed that he had arrived at the right place! Whether the Japanese were ever enlightened about the true nature of the building was never made clear!Despite my many trips to the prison, including one guided tour during my training, I never knew about the hangman's tunnel. Fascinating!
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, moves on; nor all thy Piety nor all thy Wit can call it back to cancel half a Line, nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

drapesy
Posts: 2614
Joined: Sat 24 Feb, 2007 4:50 pm

Post by drapesy »

Firecracker wrote: When I was little I used to tell my mummy that when I grew up to be a princess I would live in that big castle lol.But I do know someone who spent some time inside and he was in a few different prisons..... he said the worst by far was Armley. Horrid place apparently. A variation on that theme - a possibly apocryphal tale of a crowded bus heading onto Armley Road. A young child says, in a loud voice, " Oh look, Mummy, there's the big castle where Daddy lives"
there are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand ternary, those that don't and those that think this a joke about the binary system.

dogduke
Posts: 1402
Joined: Thu 03 Jan, 2008 6:47 am

Post by dogduke »

I visited someone in Armley a few years ago,he was only there a short time before shipping out to the Wetherby area.Such a daunting place inside and out.conducted tours for some of our young tearaways might just steer them towards the straight and narrow.
Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.90% of being smart is knowing what you're dumb at.

Chrism
Posts: 1828
Joined: Sun 20 Jan, 2008 8:26 am

Post by Chrism »

stutterdog wrote: geoffb wrote: Chrism wrote: The Ballad of Joseph Myers - Jon Rennardhttp://youtu.be/2316yT3FVn0 Coincidentally the last person to be hanged at Armley was Zsiga Pankotia for the Murder of a Leeds Market stall holder called Eli Myers in 1961 I lived in the shadow of Armley Jail as we called it in Gloucester Ave. I wish I had a pound for all the times I've walked past the Hangmans Tunnel. From about 1952 our gang would play football on what was then a disused bowling green just over the wall from the main gate pictured, presumably for the warders recreation.We played against the wardens kids of similar age to ourselves. There were living quarters for them around the prison. We called it the jail quarters. There was no road with yellow lines then and even the tunnel had not been bricked up! Rather, it was full of soil and rubble which sloped backwards into the tunnel but there was room to enter the tunnel to a length of 10ft! It was bricked up in the late 50's I would think. I remember quite a few hangings at trhe jail throughout my childhood. On hanging days ,a small iron gate that led from Gloucester View onto Gloucester Terr which led up to the main gate was always chained and locked. Why I do not know as the wall there was only 4ft high and was easily climbed! Having also looked at the RAF bomb damage picture I think it also shows a house in my street which was flattened in 1941. Our house had a near miss as we lived almost opposite! I went to Castleton school from '65-69 and we used that field for footy matches and our sports days.
Sit thissen dahn an' tell us abaht it.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Post by iansmithofotley »

Hi everyone,It was not uncommon, when Police Officers checked out people, on foot or in cars, to find that when a name and address was asked for, the reply was "Mr A.T. Leaf, 23 Gloucester Terrace, Leeds 12". I have even seen forms HORT 2 from other forces with these same details on. (Form HORT 2 was sent to a Police Station, from another Police Station/Force, in cases where a Form HORT 1 (for document production) had been issued to a driver, and he had elected to produce his driving documents at another Police Station, elsewhere from the location where he was stopped or in another force area).Chrism - I was a young P.C. at Upper Wortley Police Station in 1965 and I used to have to do School Crossing duties at Castleton School (along with other schools). In fact, if I was on early turn (6am - 2pm), I sometimes had to do it three times in a day i.e. 8.30am - 9.05am, 11.55am - 12.30pm and 1pm - 1.35pm. So I suspect that I will have directed you across Armley Road many times. If I wasn't doing this, then I was usually directing traffic at Armley Road/Wellington Road junction (7.30am - 9.15am or 4.30pm - 6.30pm).Ian    

Chrism
Posts: 1828
Joined: Sun 20 Jan, 2008 8:26 am

Post by Chrism »

iansmithofotley wrote: Hi everyone,It was not uncommon, when Police Officers checked out people, on foot or in cars, to find that when a name and address was asked for, the reply was "Mr A.T. Leaf, 23 Gloucester Terrace, Leeds 12". I have even seen forms HORT 2 from other forces with these same details on. (Form HORT 2 was sent to a Police Station, from another Police Station/Force, in cases where a Form HORT 1 (for document production) had been issued to a driver, and he had elected to produce his driving documents at another Police Station, elsewhere from the location where he was stopped or in another force area).Chrism - I was a young P.C. at Upper Wortley Police Station in 1965 and I used to have to do School Crossing duties at Castleton School (along with other schools). In fact, if I was on early turn (6am - 2pm), I sometimes had to do it three times in a day i.e. 8.30am - 9.05am, 11.55am - 12.30pm and 1pm - 1.35pm. So I suspect that I will have directed you across Armley Road many times. If I wasn't doing this, then I was usually directing traffic at Armley Road/Wellington Road junction (7.30am - 9.15am or 4.30pm - 6.30pm).Ian     I can remember a copper seeing us over the road if we got the bus down, from Armley Road near the Nelson. But usually we'd walk. We lived on Mistress Lane. You'll know Ronnie Bright then? Or Bobby Bright as he was called locally. I used to lake about with his son Chris. They (the Brights) lived in the same Maisonettes as us.
Sit thissen dahn an' tell us abaht it.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Post by iansmithofotley »

Hi Chrism,Yes, I knew Ronnie Bright, he was PC 202. It's funny, most of us can remember collar numbers. If someone mentions a name, we always remember their collar number first. It's partly to do with the Leeds City Police Radio which was in the cars and vans, but mainly from listening in for eight hours a day on our 'noddy bikes' ( personal radios were not introduced until about 1968 ). Also, prior to this date, one vhf wave band covered the whole of the city and there were no radio operators in Police Stations. The central Information (Control) Room was situated at the Force HQ at Brotherton House.Ian        

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