pub on Gipton

Old, disused, forgotten and converted pubs
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discoduck
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat 29 Jul, 2017 1:27 pm

pub on Gipton

Post by discoduck »

Used to live on Hetton Road, Gipton side. My local was the Oakwood. What was the pub on The Gipton , think its a Netto supertmarket now. Used to go on a Sunday lunchtime.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Re: pub on Gipton

Post by iansmithofotley »

It was the Courtier on Amberton Road. There was also the Fairway on Oak Tree Drive. In later years, the Courtier changed its name to the Oak Tree.

volvojack
Posts: 1471
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 11:57 am

Re: pub on Gipton

Post by volvojack »

Hello Ian, Would the Dog and Gun pub on York Road be classed as on Gipton i remember as a kid living on what was then a brand new estate. The Fire Station and The police Station were always referred as Gipton. and as the "Dog" was nearly opposite i just wondered.
Hope you and yours are keeping well over in Otley

jma
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri 05 Aug, 2016 3:38 pm

Re: pub on Gipton

Post by jma »

IIRC, the official name of the police station was Gipton Approach, from the name of the street it stood on. IIRC, in Leeds City Police days, the area the station covered was East Division although before and after that it had a divisional letter. After amalgamation in 1974, it all became L Division, which extended as far as Wetherby, but it was also referred to as Gipton.

FWIW, there were similar anomalies elsewhere: because of confusion with Dewsbury (Road Traffic) Dewsbury Road Police Station in Leeds was renamed Holbeck and that name was then applied to Hunslet, Beeston, Middleton, Belle Isle, Morley and Rothwell.

A further reorganisation in 1993 meant that the whole of Leeds 12 and 13 became Pudsey.

In some quarters this is called local knowledge.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Re: pub on Gipton

Post by iansmithofotley »

Hi Jack,

My wife and I are doing okay, just bored because of Covid and isolation. I hope that you and your wife are okay too.

Personally, I regard Gipton Approach as ‘Gipton’. This is because of the names of the old Police Station and Fire Station and the areas that they covered, particularly the large council estates of Halton Moor, Foundry Mills, Branders, Ambertons, Coldcotes, St. Wilfreds, etc., etc.

The river used to be the boundary between Gipton and Dewsbury Road Police Station areas but because of the very large crime figures in Gipton, the divisional boundary changed in about 1972/73 and the East End Park/Cross Green area was then covered by Dewsbury Road Police Station instead of Gipton Police Station. This was to try and even out the crime load. From 1973 until 1975 I was the Detective Sergeant responsible for this area, working from Dewsbury Road Police Station.

Moving further out of Leeds were Templenewsam, Seacroft, Crossgates, Whinmoor, Stanks, etc., which were all within the old Leeds City Boundary (pre 1974) but covered by Gipton Police Station. I wouldn’t technically consider these areas as Gipton but might refer to them as such, informally, because of the services that covered them.

Another anomaly is ‘Harehills’. I always regarded Harehills as being the area east of Harehills Road and particularly the area of Harehills Lane between Roundhay Road and York Road, and all the surrounding streets of terrace houses.

In the 1960’s and later, Chapeltown got a bad reputation, nationally, for crime, prostitution, robberies, drugs and other crime. The name ‘Chapeltown’ was often ignored by the media and the area (say between Sheepscar junction, Scott Hall Road, Roundhay Road, Harehills Lane (West) and Harehills Road) was referred to as ‘Harehills’, even though it was Chapeltown. The Police Station in Harrogate Road was Chapeltown Police Station but when a new Police Station was built in Stainbeck Lane, a short distance away, it was called ‘Stainbeck Police Station’.

Nowadays, a lot of the people who live in the area above Potternewton Park (situated between Harehills Avenue and the west part of Harehills Lane) take great exception to it being referred to as ‘Chapeltown’ and insist on it being called ‘Chapel Allerton’. I used to work at Chapeltown Police Station and do school crossing duties outside of Chapeltown Primary School, nearby. The school has now been re-named as ‘Chapel Allerton Primary School’. It is as if the name ‘Chapeltown’ is being gradually expunged. At least the West Indian Carnival is still often referred to as ‘Chapeltown Carnival’ but probably not for long. There used to be a small newspaper called the ‘Chapeltown News’.

It’s a complicated subject where areas start and finish and applies all over Leeds, e.g. Sheepscar/Meanwood, Woodhouse/Meanwood, Burley/Kirkstall/Headingley, Holbeck/Beeston/Hunslet, Armley/Bramley/Farnley, Woodhouse/Headingley, etc., etc., and invariably there is no right or wrong answer. It is usually just a matter of opinion and associated context.

By the way, I think that the Dog and Gun Pub was in 'Gipton'.

Regards.

Ian

jim
Posts: 1897
Joined: Sun 17 May, 2009 10:09 am

Re: pub on Gipton

Post by jim »

I have always preferred to choose the Parish Boundaries as the best answer to such questions. The Ordinance Survey Maps of appropriate scale and the local Planning Departments always used to show them, but I don't know if this is still the case. The Leeds Tithe Maps Project also used to be of use when looking for where they were.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Re: pub on Gipton

Post by iansmithofotley »

In Leeds, the Police boundaries between Divisions (and Forces) were fairly straightforward. There were physical boundaries such as the river but otherwise the boundaries were by way of streets. One side of a street was in one Division and the other side was in another Division. The same thing applied to Police ‘beats’.

An example would be the boundary between Chapeltown Division and Gipton Division. Starting at the Woodpecker (pub) Junction. The boundary was Burmantofts Street, Beckett Street, Harehills Road, Roundhay Road and Wetherby Road, out to the city boundary.

The Woodpecker Junction was unique. This was because four Divisions joined each other in one place. Marsh Lane continued (south to north) into Burmantofts Street and New York Road continued (west to east) into York Road.

After 1972/73 the Woodpecker Pub (south east corner) was in Holbeck Division (previously it was in Gipton Division). Kitson House in Quarry Hill Flats (south west corner) was in Millgarth Division, St Patrick’s Church (north west corner) was in Chapeltown Division and the housing opposite, across Burmantofts Street (north east corner), was in Gipton Division.

If there was a vehicular accident at the Woodpecker Junction, officers from any one, or all four, Divisions might attend. Having dealt with any casualties, and making the scene safe, there was often a lot of friendly banter between the staff as to who would deal with the accident and in which Division it should be recorded.

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