SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I spotted this today, while having a wander round Leeds this morning. It's on Northern Street, between Wellington Street and Whitehall road.It looks to my uncultured eye like some kind of vent, but what's it for????Cheerz for any info.

These have been featured before on here Geordie and are ventilators for old cable ducts.Have a look at the earlier thread here:http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... ighLight=1

chameleon wrote: These have been featured before on here Geordie and are ventilators for old cable ducts.Have a look at the earlier thread here:http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... ighLight=1 Thanks for that.Where was that 'old power station' mentioned in that thread?

this was a large building round the corner from Northern Street on Whitehall Road - I'm sure it's been mentioned on Secret Leeds too but I can't find a reference.Not sure whether the last of the building has been pulled down yet, not been round there for a while but it used to be easily isentified.If you would like to read the history of electric light in Leeds, this is an article I found in Leodis:http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/leodis-leeds/spark.html

chameleon wrote: this was a large building round the corner from Northern Street on Whitehall Road - I'm sure it's been mentioned on Secret Leeds too but I can't find a reference.Not sure whether the last of the building has been pulled down yet, not been round there for a while but it used to be easily isentified.If you would like to read the history of electric light in Leeds, this is an article I found in Leodis:http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/leodis-leeds/spark.html Thanks for that link. It was a very intresting read.I do remember that the GEGB had a huge training establishment on Whitehall road, when I first came to Leeds. But I never new it had been a power station.I now wonder if there is still access to those cable runs, that the vents top off!!

Geordi wrote: Where was that 'old power station' mentioned in that thread? Geordi - it was more or less right in front of you as you were taking that picture, well actually it would have been slightly to the left.As you look past the vent you would have had the power station across the other side of Whitehall Rd but to the left slightly and directly in front of you was the Soap factory commonly known as Soapy Joes.

BIG N wrote: Geordi wrote: Where was that 'old power station' mentioned in that thread? Geordi - it was more or less right in front of you as you were taking that picture, well actually it would have been slightly to the left.As you look past the vent you would have had the power station across the other side of Whitehall Rd but to the left slightly and directly in front of you was the Soap factory commonly known as Soapy Joes. Yes, clearly long gone now, a large enclosed and modern substation is the only other clue if you knew what you were looking for. It can be seen on the aerial photo put up recently on another thread.Soapy Joes, Elida Gibbs relocated to The Coal Road in Whinmoor, becoming a rather more up-market name of Elida Faberge. A very large development and now I think, the rather familiar 'smells' often drifting out have been absent for a long time - perhaps production of the offending products having gone to the European off-shoots!

are the really tall red ones still around near roundhay park...the ones that let out the noxious gases from the old victorian sewers?

Geordi wrote: chameleon wrote: These have been featured before on here Geordie and are ventilators for old cable ducts.Have a look at the earlier thread here:http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... ighLight=1 Thanks for that.Where was that 'old power station' mentioned in that thread? This is the best picture I've been able to find.The old power station is in the top right-hand corner,just follow the plume of smoke!

The power station was built to supply power for the electric trams. Subsequently when the trams started taking their power from the public electricity supply it was transferred to CEGB ownership who used it for training purposes.