Leeds lost pubs

drapesy · Post by **drapesy** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:22 pm

Hi philt.I remember seeing the Red Bear standing derelict (possibly burnt out also) - this must have been in the mid 70's.Do you remember yet another pub that was on the same stretch of road, and the same side, going towards the Regent . I've had a pint in this pub, (and I think it must have closed/been demolished in the late80s or early 90s so you probably do) - it was called the 'Plasterer's Arms'

Philt · Post by **Philt** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:22 pm

I posted about the Red Bear off Regent Street , near the Cherry Tree - just remebered it was just up the road from the Plasterers Arms - good football team.What about the top'oil , middle 'oil and bottom 'oil on Churwell hill at morley ? Are they still there. ? Last time I went in bottom'oil ( 13 -14 years ago) it was managed by Byron stevenson who used to play for Leeds United - it had also been managed by John Charles.On a similiar vein , the Crown Hotel - opposite Teltely's Brewery used to be managed by Mel Charles - john's brother

Philt · Post by **Philt** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:25 pm

Hi drapesy - sorry our messages must have crossed.

drapesy · Post by **drapesy** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:29 pm

Hold the front page Philt - just found this picture of the Red Bear on the excellent Leodis website.Incredibly this was taken in 1999 - so it stood derelict for a hell of a long time!The 3 pubs in Churwell are all still going strong I,m pleased to say - if you look on the 'Melbourne signs' thread of this site(in s'signs and symbols' section) you will see one of the first pics is of the 'courtier' mosaic outside the Old Golden Fleece(Middle 'oil)

munki · Post by **munki** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:35 pm

drapesy wrote: Was this Chaplins? or the wayfinder? or maybe both at different times. I've had more than one pint in here but cant remember - I always get it confused with the other pub on the opposite corner of the Merrion centre - which is still open.Signs on the window say the pub was in the 'good beer guide' in 1996, 97 and 98.Is it just me but this doesn't look like a real building at all - more like some overblown lego-type construction?!?! It was 'The Tap & Spile' in 1991, when I came to Leeds.

drapesy · Post by **drapesy** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:37 pm

munki wrote: drapesy wrote: Was this Chaplins? or the wayfinder? or maybe both at different times. I've had more than one pint in here but cant remember - I always get it confused with the other pub on the opposite corner of the Merrion centre - which is still open.Signs on the window say the pub was in the 'good beer guide' in 1996, 97 and 98.Is it just me but this doesn't look like a real building at all - more like some overblown lego-type construction?!?! It was 'The Tap & Spile' in 1991, when I came to Leeds. It certainly was'nt the 'tap and spile' originallythough - I think it had a few names over the years.

drapesy · Post by **drapesy** » Wed 30 May, 2007 9:47 pm

The former Cobourg - I always liked this pub, though I can't put my finger on quite why. For a while it then became 'Scruffy Murphy's' a dreadful cod-irish pub (god knows why - after all Leeds has plenty of great genuine Irish pubs) - now a restaurant.

jf · Post by jf » Wed 30 May, 2007 10:08 pm

The Cobourg changes again! Hadn't spotted that one. It's metamorphosised so many times in recent years it's become a bit of a joke - last time i spotted it was 'Japanic' I think - a Japanese themed pub. It's also been a trendy urban type bar somewhere in between, as well as the Irish pub. All in the space of less than ten years I'm guessing. Someone keeps trying, throwing money at it for successive refits. I think the phrase 'polishing a turd' might be appropriate - it's just not the best situated pub, almost on a traffic island. Is it just a restaurant now, or is there still a bar there?It would be funny to see a series of pictures of each desperate makeover. I wonder what they'll try next, or will it come full cycle back to a regular pub again?

drapesy · Post by **drapesy** » Wed 30 May, 2007 11:16 pm

Leodis (http://www.leodis.net/) has this picture of when it was the 'urban bar' you referred to - a brief return for the 'cobourg' name too.(this is from 1999)

Ro-Man · Post by **Ro-Man** » Thu 31 May, 2007 9:35 am

jf wrote: The Cobourg changes again! Hadn't spotted that one. It's metamorphosised so many times in recent years it's become a bit of a joke - last time i spotted it was 'Japanic' I think - a Japanese themed pub. It's also been a trendy urban type bar somewhere in between, as well as the Irish pub. All in the space of less than ten years I'm guessing. Someone keeps trying, throwing money at it for successive refits. I think the phrase 'polishing a turd' might be appropriate - it's just not the best situated pub, almost on a traffic island. Is it just a restaurant now, or is there still a bar there?It would be funny to see a series of pictures of each desperate makeover. I wonder what they'll try next, or will it come full cycle back to a regular pub again? Japanic actually did quite well, and wasn't the loss-maker that jf suggests. It was more of a Japanese restaurant than a pub, and the food was pretty good. Although I'm not 100% certain, I think the owner of Japanic sold the tenancy on after doing quite well, and Viva Cuba must have seen the potential in the place, so there must be some gold in the turd they keep polishing.Surely this thread suggests we should be appluading people willing to take on an old pub, rather than criticising "deperate makeovers",because without them we'll have another derelict building on our hands?