SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

A couple of posts on the Millgarth are thread sparked a little interest. The "Blind Terrace" at the top of Union Street does appear to have been an electricity sub station (may still be) as the Initials LCED appear above irs door. I assume that was Leeds City Electrical Department but I am too young to remember anything prior to the Public monopoly that was YEB. Yorkshire Water still exists as a brand name although its long been swallowed in some multinational conglomerate.Although only old enough to remember YEB I do vaguely remember as a toddler (so late sixties/early seventies) what was presumably British Gas converting our house to Natural Gas. In the same era I also remember a conversion (which presumably was also at least partially subsidised) from round pin to square pin plug sockets, although strangely electric wall clocks were left as round.BT emerged from the GPO sometime in the seventies?Any other memories of the Utilities and are my memories accurate date wise?

British Gas round here was NEGAS in the seventies when my late hubby started working for them.They had orange vans with a flame logo on the side. After the conversion to north sea gas my gran said that the gas pressure was low around tea time and we told her it was because the tide was out! She believed that to her dying day bless her

I remember plumbing fittings being marked with LCWW (Leeds City Water Works) to show they conformed for use not to mention 'The Water Man' who would regularly use his key with a manual earpiece to listen to every underground stop-cock in the street for signs of a leak - now we seem to wait for the road to erupt in a fountain.    

The GPO (General Post Office) became the PO (Post Office) and then became British Telecom in 1981.

I took this photo today (May 27 2015) when I spotted this 'Leeds Electricity Dept' cover on Lady Lane. I've not readily been able to find much information about the Leeds Electricity Department but in some that I found it might have become part of Yorkshire Electricity in 1962. Does anyone please know any further information on the history of Leeds Electricity?

Leodian - I may be wrong, but didn't that square building (long demolished) off Harewood Street and near some old swimming baths bear some kind of inscription, in the form of four letters, indicating ownership by the Municipal Electrcity Department ??

BLAKEY wrote:Leodian - I may be wrong, but didn't that square building (long demolished) off Harewood Street and near some old swimming baths bear some kind of inscription, in the form of four letters, indicating ownership by the Municipal Electrcity Department ??

Hiya Blakey .

Yes that small LCED building was by Harewood Street. These are two photos I took of it on February 15th 2013.

Thanks very much Leodian for two great pictures. I'm absolutely amazed, in a reversal of the "time flies" theory, to find that it was still there as recently as a little over two years since !!

Leo, all the records for the LCED are held at WYAS in Wakefield. Not sure they'd be all that interesting though.

I'm sure that they used to be held in Leeds but were then centralised a few years ago.

There may also be some other records of the Leeds Corporation Lighting Committee in Central Library which was a predecessor I think, unless they too have been moved.

Formed as the Yorkshire Electricity Board in 1948 as part of the nationalisation of the electricity industry by the Electricity Act 1947

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Electricity