White Swan pub on Call Lane.

Old, disused, forgotten and converted pubs
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liits
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Post by liits »

At one time there were two adjacent premises on Call Lane, The Three Legs of Man and the White Swan. The Three Legs was demolished sometime in 1885 [it’s license lapsing on 24th September 1885] and the remaining White Swan was then officially re-named the White Swan and Legs of Man Hotel. It was subsequently renamed as just the White Swan on 25th November 1913. For a great many years, it was owned and run by the Royston family who also owned the West Riding Hotel on Wellington Street.

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Post by Leodian »

liits wrote: At one time there were two adjacent premises on Call Lane, The Three Legs of Man and the White Swan. The Three Legs was demolished sometime in 1885 [it’s license lapsing on 24th September 1885] and the remaining White Swan was then officially re-named the White Swan and Legs of Man Hotel. It was subsequently renamed as just the White Swan on 25th November 1913. For a great many years, it was owned and run by the Royston family who also owned the West Riding Hotel on Wellington Street. Thanks for that interesting information liits. The 'White Swan and Legs of Man Hotel' was a long name!
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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

Phill_dvsn wrote: Leodian wrote: This a photo I also took today showing the frontage of the building on Call Lane that is a bar but which I assume was once the White Swan pub. THE WHITE SWAN!Better known as 'The Mucky Duck' The colourful clientele no doubt influencing the nick name. I sometimes went in there in the mid 80's, that was the days when you could find plenty of this type of pub around Leeds City Centre. The Robin Hood before It changed to the Duchess, The Mad House (Market Tavern) and The Whip e.t.c.The White Swan seemed to close at least 15 years ago now, It changed into this new bar thing whatever it is today. There were two main rooms in the pub, the main bar at the front, and a darkened black hole at the back, It had a disco going on in there in the 80's. Pitch black it was and resembled the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars.The carpets were thread bare that had created little blackened footpaths, and on the most worn paths of the pub you could actually feel your shoes stick to the carpet.The Mucky Duck therefore being a very apt nickname for this lost old boozer of Leeds!              I may be mixed up but wasnt the Robin Hood further up Vicar Lane towards the corner of Eastgate/Headrow(next to the Barclays Bank that sits on the corner of Vicar Lane and Headrow/Eastgate,and the Duchess nearer the Victoria Quarter,now the Hugo Boss shop?If not then my memory is playing tricks with me as i remember being able to enter the rear of the Robin Hood (which used to play music full blast outside onto Vicar lane through external wall mounted speakers) from Rockley Hall Yard on the Headrow.I thought that the two pubs were seperate and contemporaneous,if not then what is the name of the crappy pub i used to go in next to Barclays?
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Phill_dvsn
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Post by Phill_dvsn »

Here you go Chris!The Duchess Of York was situated at 71 Vicar Lane. This pub was also known as the Robin Hood.Taken from this web page herehttp://www.closedpubs.co.uk/yorkshire/leeds_duchessofyork.html    
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Post by Leodian »

I had previously thought that the Hugo Boss shop was where the Nags Head pub was but I now realise I was wrong. The Nags Head frontage on Vicar Lane must have been at, or next to, where the Betfred betting place now is closer to The Headrow/Vicar Lane junction than the Duchess/Robin Hood pub was. Where the rear of the Nags Head was can be seen where its name is in stone in Rockley Hall Yard off The Headrow.    
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Post by uncle mick »

I thought that the two pubs were seperate and contemporaneous,if not then what is the name of the crappy pub i used to go in next to Barclays? (Quote Cnosni )I think Leodian has just answered your question. The Nags Head

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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

uncle mick wrote: I thought that the two pubs were seperate and contemporaneous,if not then what is the name of the crappy pub i used to go in next to Barclays? (Quote Cnosni )I think Leodian has just answered your question. The Nags Head Many thanks for that,cant understand how i got mixed up between the two names,too many brain cells lost over the years!!
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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

Phill_dvsn wrote: Here you go Chris!The Duchess Of York was situated at 71 Vicar Lane. This pub was also known as the Robin Hood.Taken from this web page herehttp://www.closedpubs.co.uk/yorkshire/leeds_duchessofyork.html     Cheers Digs
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volvojack
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Re: White Swan pub on Call Lane.

Post by volvojack »

As someone who used to like to go in town for a drink with my pals before venturing onto the Mecca Locarno we would visit the KIng Charles, The Three Legs, Horse and Trumpet and the Whip where you could always count on a good pint.
As for the Call Lane Pubs, The Star and Garter which was a scruffy place and The "Mucky Duck" , a hangout for Prostituteswas certainly a no no in those days. then there was the Open Anchor ( which had a rather ruder nickname ) later was renamed the New Penny.
The clientele in there were of a certain bent .
This morning looking through Leeds pubs past and present on line i came across a licensed premises in Call Lane called "The Maven" it seems it a cross between a wine bar and a cocktail lounge. You are invited to "Put on your brouges and take a stoll down Call lane to find a Prohobitionstyle Bar with a modern twist." I saw a photo of a cocktail which is served in a large cup and saucer, lots of ice, gin and what looks like pieces of cabbage leaf and a blackberry. It looks verry similar to the type of drink that Del Boy likes. This can be had for two people and only costs £25. a time.
I shall be visiting the "Regent" in Kirkgate but soon more than likely will be doing what i did in the 1950 /60s and that is giving Call Lane Hosteleries a miss.

iansmithofotley
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Re: White Swan pub on Call Lane.

Post by iansmithofotley »

This tale will be interest to Jack (alias jcd or volvojack).

On Monday 26th February 1968, a Leeds prostitute called Mary Judge was murdered near to Leeds Parish Church. The murder happened around 10.00pm to 10.30pm and she had had her head smashed in with a brick on a low wall. She was so badly injured that her face was unrecognisable and she was eventually identified by her fingerprints. The case remains undetected but there was a suspect, who probably committed the murder, but was never charged. I worked on the case from the start, as that night, I was working in Ireland Wood Divisional C.I.D. on a 6pm – 2am shift. The body was discovered around midnight or just afterwards and I can remember assembling in the canteen at Brotherton House, the Leeds City Police Headquarters, with all of the other detectives that were on duty in the city. The senior detective on duty at that time was D.C.I. Jasper Mann and we all awaited his briefing. The head of the Leeds C.I.D. in early 1968 was Det. Supt. Frank Midgeley, but I can’t remember who finished up in charge of the murder investigation (probably the D.C.I. at Millgarth Police Station at that time).

Mary Judge plied her trade in the White Swan, Regent, Brougham Arms, Palace, Madhouse (Market Tavern), Star and Garter, General Elliott, Hope and Anchor and other City Centre pubs in that area. On the night in question, she had been in several of these pubs, particularly the White Swan, the Star and Garter and the Regent. At this time, pubs closed at 10.30pm in Leeds.

In those days, during the period after the murder, the pubs and clubs were flooded with detectives, at various times of the day, and all of the clientele, at whatever time, were interviewed and relevant ‘proformas’ were completed for every person as to where they were at the time of the murder and whether or not they knew the deceased, etc. The Incident Room was quickly filled up with stacks of proformas and index cards for every person who was interviewed under any circumstances. As time went on, all premises in the area were repeatedly visited and staff were interviewed. I think that ‘House to House’ enquiries were made in the whole of Quarry Hill Flats and at other houses, hotels, lodging houses, business premises, shops, etc., in the area.

All of the detectives worked 12 hour shifts and days off were cancelled (and there was no additional pay – just meal allowances). I got sick and tired of going in the pubs, which I have named, for days and nights after the murder. Many of the clientele had been interviewed many times and all of the ‘regulars’ in those pubs knew Mary. I think that Mary lived in the Glensdales at East End Park but had friends who lived at Quarry Hill Flats. All of these pubs were ‘rough’ pubs and, personally, I have never had a decent pint in any of them (on duty of off duty).

Every time that the ‘Mucky Duck’ or ‘Call Lane’ is mentioned, I am reminded of my days investigating this murder. Also, the murder was committed only a very short distance from where my colleague Sgt. John Speed was shot dead near to Leeds Parish Church (Minster) in 1984. John and I joined the Leeds City Police together in 1965 and we did all our training together.

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