SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

The only Business i can recall in Beeston with that name was "Woodcocks X.L. Stores" which was a Double fronted Grocers on Beeston Road above Cross Flatts Park on the left Hand side..

We may not be looking for a shop in Beeston.
The only reliable clues we have from the photograph is that someone called Woodcock, had a fruit shop in an unknown location.

Hi everyone,

Last night I thought that I would check some of the Leeds Telephone Directories, but I did not check every year. I found that there was a 'Woodcock's Grocers' at 377 Harehills Lane in 1940. The grocer's shop may have been there for years, before, but they may not have had a telephone. The shop was still trading in 1950. By 1959, the shop had developed into a chain of 'Woodcock's Grocers'. The shops were at 538 Scott Hall Road, Leeds 7, 129 Brudenell Road, Leeds 6, 8 Thorpe Street, Leeds 10, 377 Harehills Lane, Leeds 9, and 124 Town Street, Rodley. In 1964, the Rodley shop had gone. In 1968, the Brudenell Road and Thorpe Street shops had gone. In 1970, all of the shops had gone.

As I have said before, I am not convinced about the Leodis photograph and the comments made, but I suppose that there is a possibility that the photograph was taken in Leeds and the 'A. Woodcock' may have been connected to the shops which I have traced. Maybe it was the very first Woodcock grocer's shop.

Ian

I also looked at the telephone directories, but wasn't convinced by the Woodcock chain.There doesn't seem to be any mention of an "A woodcock", and I would have thought (if they had a telephone) that it would have been listed at some point under that name. Also a grocer is a bit different to a fruiterer and florist. That said, I would have thought the clothing shown is likely to be from the 1940s-50s

I am pretty certain its not 377 Harehills Lane.
The modern google view https://goo.gl/maps/1zeqBJQdujA2 has 377 as the left half of Gilchrists. While like the Leodis picture there appears to be a slight fall away to the left there isn't several steps to the door. Also the Leodis shop appears to be stone built whereas despite the white wash the adjacent (and attached) buildings today suggest brick and probably early 20th Century so not built over the Leodis shop

Stone built would probably fit with Rodley but I think the summation is correct its a photograph submitted in Leeds but not necessarily of Leeds.

I think 124 Town Street has recently been built over but this is the vicinity in Rodley https://goo.gl/maps/PdVCSHuFvtM2

Don't know if it makes any difference to the question but,is this
a house converted to a shop?
Most shops have a fairly level entrance.
The upright of the window frame extends onto a lower step and the photo
may be cropped/trimmed just to include the one property which seems a bit small
for a purpose built shop

Not a house converted into a shop, this is the old shop at the corner of the street where I was born, it had steps.
to remove the ground floor door window and walls and support the upper storeys while the new door and shop window was added
would have been very expensive, for a florist. It would have been more economic to find an empty shop

tyke bhoy wrote:I am pretty certain its not 377 Harehills Lane.
The modern google view https://goo.gl/maps/1zeqBJQdujA2 has 377 as the left half of Gilchrists. While like the Leodis picture there appears to be a slight fall away to the left there isn't several steps to the door. Also the Leodis shop appears to be stone built whereas despite the white wash the adjacent (and attached) buildings today suggest brick and probably early 20th Century so not built over the Leodis shop

Stone built would probably fit with Rodley but I think the summation is correct its a photograph submitted in Leeds but not necessarily of Leeds.

Hang on a minute Tyke Bhoy, if you just change your view point a bit in the modern street view, so you can see behind the van, the left half of Gilchrists does have a flight of 4 steps up to the door exactly like the shop in the old photo. Also it looks like a brick wall in the old photo to me. I think 377 is a strong candidate for our unknown shop.
Slightly ironic that if it is the right shop I would have walked past it many times up to the age of 10.

dogduke wrote:Don't know if it makes any difference to the question but,is this
a house converted to a shop?
Most shops have a fairly level entrance.
The upright of the window frame extends onto a lower step and the photo
may be cropped/trimmed just to include the one property which seems a bit small
for a purpose built shop

Hi Dogduke,
Most shops have a fairly level entrance nowadays with laws about disabled access etc but not in Edwardian brick terraces. I lived in a (corner) shop in Harehills with 4 stone steps and a door to the coal cellar at pavement level just like this when I was a kid. It was a purpose built shop -later converted to a house.