SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

While going for a walk on Google around St Mark's Road I notices this for the first time. For what and why?http://goo.gl/maps/t2EIR    

It looks like a block and tackle runner, for manually lifting stuff to the upper floors.

Well, if its a hoist then its a puzzle as to why it was there. From the turn of the century until the 60's it was Talyors [later Timothy Whites & Taylors] Chemists. Not the sort of business that would need a hoist, I would have thought, and the window itself doesn't look as though it is big enough to swing a load in through.Maybe it's a very over engineered bracket for a hanging sign.

jim wrote: It looks like a block and tackle runner, for manually lifting stuff to the upper floors. I agree with Jim.

Thanks Phill. Although the image from googlemaps will not take serious blowing up, I think I can detect the runner block itself, up against the wall. It would have two opposing pairs of very small pulley wheels that allow the block to travel out along the girder. The lifting block and tackle set (or single pulley suspended from a hook) would be hung from the runner when needed by someone leaning out of the upper window. Things like sacks, bags, or boxes could then easily be hoisted to either of the upper floors. Looking at the nature of the girder and its supporting posts I would imagine that it would take loads of no more than two hundredweights if pushed, and would not be allowed to be used under modern 'elf and safety regs.    

That's what I thought but as Liits says, why there?    The first floor window is only about 2x3 so what sort of really heavy box would need a hoist in a chemists?    

Maybe a safe for money or controlled drugs

This came up on another thread. There was a plumbers merchant there at one time which explains the heavy loads.

Thanks.

Think I remember it as really good bakery1983/84 ish who's date & walnut slices were good.