SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I've just been watching some old cine footage taken around Holbeck railway depot in the mid 1970's, you can see the actual scene herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igULZ1xZB7I&fea ... ge#t=484sI just happened to notice a small building covered in black out paint, it's situated the middle of the road at the junction of Nineveh Road, and Marshall Street.This is the building in question, you can just see the corner of Holbeck library on the right. And this is where it stood in today's world.A closer look.It's something I've never seen before, and it must have vanished sometime before 1983 as I used to go down there at the time. I'm just wondering if it was an old surface air raid shelter like the one seen below, or was it a less glamorous public toilet? Surface air raid shelter on Brudenell Road.The building only appears to be on the 1964 map and it is marked, sadly it's too small to read what it says.Can anyone remember it, or have any ideas?            

Whilst on topic of old film footage around Leeds, here something Jim and the others interested in the railways will like.Leeds City station steam 1967.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_buu74 ... re=related

Sorry to stray slightly Phill, but is the Brudenell Road structure opposite the Hyde Park Cinema ?? The name of the nearest shop is if great interest, as I believe that the "son of Fred Mack" will be the celebrated Robert F. Mack of passenger transport photography fame - Bob was a real gentleman who took literally thousands of images of local buses and trams, and published several albums of pictures. As well as the vehicles the historic street scenes are of course wonderful.The mystery building in the Holbeck picture seems to have a normal two sided "house" roof - other than that it looks like a public toilet of the time, but these were usually, IIRC, "open topped."

More info on that shelter here Blakeyhttp://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIde ... SPLAY=FULL

Hi Phill. I remember this structure from when I was a kid, but unfortunately have no idea what it was! The black and white checks stuck in my mind as I thought there must be a motor racing track there!

Phill_dvsn wrote: More info on that shelter here Blakeyhttp://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIde ... SPLAY=FULL Many thanks for that Phill - I lived at 2 Chestnut Avenue from birth to age three, and that picture captures the flavour of the time quite vividly. One of the shops on the Brudenell Parade (to which I was sent quite fearlessly at that age - can you imagine it now ??) was a grocer called Mr. Dockray IIRR.

Si wrote: Hi Phill. I remember this structure from when I was a kid, but unfortunately have no idea what it was! The black and white checks stuck in my mind as I thought there must be a motor racing track there! I can only think of two places where you can still see black out paint in good condition today.One is here outside St Gemmas on Harrogate Roadhttp://goo.gl/maps/b8f0yThe other on the railway bridge at Copley Hill herehttp://goo.gl/maps/g9DSw

Hi Phill. The building you seek to identify at the junction of Nineveh Road/Marshall Street/Jack Lane was a gents public toilet.I first remember it in 1949, when my mother began teaching at Princess Field School immediately to the east of the site. I have hung around 20A (as Holbeck MPD was then) ever since!    

jim wrote: Hi Phill. The building you seek to identify at the junction of Nineveh Road/Marshall Street/Jack Lane was a gents public toilet.I first remember it in 1949, when my mother began teaching at Princess Field School immediately to the east of the site. I have hung around 20A (as Holbeck MPD was then) ever since!     Thanks Jim, I thought it might be, it was the fact it has such good quality black out paint even in the 70's.. P.S I hope you enjoyed the old railway videos too?

Might explain why the sewer, which runs down Nineveh Road and the turns left up MMarshall street, isn't a conventional 90 degree turn but 'goes wide' and around the corner in two 45 degree turns.