Old BBC underground bar on Blackman Lane

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raveydavey
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Post by raveydavey »

I've never heard of the BBC club before, although I heard a tale that one of the pubs near Yorkshire Television (on Burley Rd?) had a special licence allowing it to remain open pretty much 'all hours' for staff at YTV. I can remember being told it was one of only a few places in the city where a pint could be served at 7am, back in the days when the pubs closed on an afternoon and were only allowed to open until 11pm at night.Staff or Social clubs were a very common thing for most firms of a decent size at one point, but not many remain nowadays - even fewer still operated by the company in question. A mate worked for British Gas about 20 years ago and they had a social club in a very nondescript office building just behind the BG headquarters building on New York Road. He signed us in a few times to use the snooker tables and the place was always near deserted apart from the bar steward.Looking at Google maps it looks like the building in question has gone now.
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drapesy
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Post by drapesy »

raveydavey wrote: I've never heard of the BBC club before, although I heard a tale that one of the pubs near Yorkshire Television (on Burley Rd?) had a special licence allowing it to remain open pretty much 'all hours' for staff at YTV. I can remember being told it was one of only a few places in the city where a pint could be served at 7am, back in the days when the pubs closed on an afternoon and were only allowed to open until 11pm at night.Staff or Social clubs were a very common thing for most firms of a decent size at one point, but not many remain nowadays - even fewer still operated by the company in question. A mate worked for British Gas about 20 years ago and they had a social club in a very nondescript office building just behind the BG headquarters building on New York Road. He signed us in a few times to use the snooker tables and the place was always near deserted apart from the bar steward.Looking at Google maps it looks like the building in question has gone now. The pub would have been the Queen- a marvellous pub in its day- now closed and being turned into a mini supermarket
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.

jim
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Post by jim »

jonleeds wrote: ..... then again there is always Salvo's which is so posh I've never been in there.    .............. Salvo's posh? As they have been very happy (and extremely friendly) to serve me.........more than once........ I cannot allow such a slur to pass!

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

The Queen's turning into a mini supermarket?! Oh lord, who permits these travesties!? It seems there is no regard given towards our heritage as far as pubs are concerned, which is a great shame as many of our memories are associated with these places. It shocks me when I hear that such landmark places have been abruptly shut down and immediately converted into something totally non-descript. As when they converted the City of Mabgate pub into apartments. I'm curious as to how The Dalesman pub on Butcher Hill manages to avoid closure when it already looks derelict and a busy night in there would be a handful of folk... I dont know, whats it all coming to? I think the supermarkets with their bargain booze, the government with their smoking ban and nanny state policies are to blame...
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

book
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Post by book »

Shame about the Queen closing to make way for a tesco express, it must be all the student flats that have sprung up along Burley Road that's attracting tesco. It was the birth place of a good amateur rugby league team who are still going strong but play from elsewhere now. I had a few beers in the Queen years ago when Walt was the landlord.I sometimes wonder if all the new student housing and the transport infrastructure going on around Burley Road and Kirkstall Road is to make that area the student quarter in Leeds? If it is will Headingley see the renaissance of families?Occasionally I call in the Dalesman with my father in law and how it stays open I don't know. Its a prime site for more flats, it has a huge amount of land at the back of it, ripe for a developer. There is only a few people in there when ever I go in.    
Is it me or has Leeds gone mad

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

I doubt that students will move away from Headingley as its close to the Becketts park campus and many of the older student halls of residence are based around there. Also the universities in Leeds seem to operate now on a bums on seats basis, more students equals more money. It makes me laugh the amount of students studying all these media related courses when there are probably zero jobs available for them when they graduate. I really dont know where the students get the money from to rent those places down Burley road, put it this way after you've paid your tuition fees I very much doubt whatever they have left will stretch to the £90+ PER WEEK PER ROOM! I used to struggle when I was a student at Leeds University and I was only paying £35 per week rent, plus I had a grant I didnt have to pay back. I had to get part time work while studying. These days you see loads of brand new hatchbacks double parked up and down the streets in LS6. They must all have loaded parents or something....
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

book
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Post by book »

Your probably right. I just thought that with all the development of student housing and even more near the merrion centre it looked like a steady transition to getting them into town. They have their own medical centre on the old Blenheim school site. The land the university owns in Weetwood and Headingley must be worth a lot of money.
Is it me or has Leeds gone mad

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