SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

There is not much left of Bank Street off Commercial Street. The photo (taken today, September 9 2011) shows there is very little to it now with the work going on building the new Trinity Shopping Centre (or whatever it is to be called). Mind you, there was not much left of Bank Street even before the work started as its stretch from Commercial Street ended just beyond the boards (there was a short covered passage on the left as viewed that connected with part of the now demolished shopping area).Bank Street still ran from Commercial Street to Boar Lane in a 1968/69 map I've seen on the Old Maps UK website but it no longer connected them in a 1981 map. There is a short stretch of what was Bank Street off Boar Lane that is currently used as an access/egress for the traffic to the Trinity building site and which I think was used to get to the underground delivery area for such as C&A. The 1968/69 map shows Trinity Street was also still running between Boar Lane and Commercial Street but Trinity Street no longer ran between them in the 1981 map. Clearly at some stage betwen 1969 and 1981 both Bank Street and Trinity Street were greatly altered with buildings covering most of both roads. I have to though admit that I don't recall Bank Street and Trinity Street ever running directly between Boar Lane and Commercial Street, but the dates suggest that I should.

I thought a photo of what remains of Trinity Street may be of interest as it and Bank Street are mere fragments now of what they were in at least 1969. The photo (which I took today, September 14 2011) was taken from Commercial Street (it had just started to rain then!). The building on the right is Trinity House, which I suspect may be quite old. In a 1964-1970 1:2500 map in the Old Maps UK website it shows Trinity Street still ran all the way from Commercial Street to Boar Lane, being immediately on the left (as seen from Boar Lane) of Trinity Church. Interestingly that map shows Dickinson's Court (with a "Lav") immediately on the right of Trinity Church. Not only do I not recall Trinity Street but I also don't recall Dickinson's Court! Thank goodness for maps and the collective memory of the SL community. I thought of copying part of an enlarged area of the map showing Bank Street and Trinity Street but (even I could do it) I'm unsure of the copyright law even if I gave the source.    

I wonder what happened to the "Leeds in Bloom 1999" gold coloured plaque that was at the end of Trinity Street next to M&S - skipped or saved I wonder?!