SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Quite often I've noticed a particular scent can bring back a memory of a place which that aroma reminds me of. That got me to thinking about other places in Leeds that have - or had a reek of their own. Just off the top of my head there is the memory of the malty smell of fermenting beer which used to waft around the Tetley's brewery. Another favorite of mine and quite memorable is that honking stench of sweaty rubber which assails the nostrils on very warm summer days - the rubber road under the Queens Hotel being responsible. Plus as a nipper I can recall the cloth mills in Morley had a peculiar smell of their own, a mixture of wool and grease I think. I can think of lots more but I dont want to monopolize the whole thread, can anyone think of any other memorable Leeds odours and their respective locations?

Funny you should mention that today. There's a large Jewish community where I live and yesterday walking down the street I could smell bread baking. It took me straight back to being about six or seven years old and going down Mushroom Street one Christmas Day morning to get bread from Zermansky's bakery.

We had a similar thread a while ago:http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... tMessage=0

One set of grandparents lived in Bramley and I remember the smell from Hartley's (?) jam factory.

Geordie-exile wrote: Funny you should mention that today. There's a large Jewish community where I live and yesterday walking down the street I could smell bread baking. It took me straight back to being about six or seven years old and going down Mushroom Street one Christmas Day morning to get bread from Zermansky's bakery. Yes Geordie-exile the lovely aroma of bread baking is very nostalgic. For me it was that at the Stokes and Daltons bakery at the junction of York Road and Torre Road when I used to play around there as a child in the 1950s. Also the gorgeous coffee smell when passing the Kardomah on Albion Street (?) in up to the 1970s (or after ?). As for stinks then there is now a regular sewerage smell on Boar Lane near the Trinity Centre.    

Geordie-exile wrote: We had a similar thread a while ago:http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... tMessage=0 Aha! Thanks for that Geordie-exile, thats given me something to read instead of watching the god awful 'Hollyoaks' drivel.

Leodian wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: Funny you should mention that today. There's a large Jewish community where I live and yesterday walking down the street I could smell bread baking. It took me straight back to being about six or seven years old and going down Mushroom Street one Christmas Day morning to get bread from Zermansky's bakery. Yes Geordie-exile the lovely aroma of bread baking is very nostalgic. For me it was that at the Stokes and Daltons bakery at the junction of York Road and Torre Road when I used to play around there as a child in the 1950s. Also the gorgeous coffee smell when passing the Kardomah on Albion Street (?) in up to the 1970s (or after ?). As for stinks then there is now a regular sewerage smell on Boar Lane near the Trinity Centre.     Hi Leodian Was it the Kardoma that used to roast there own coffee beans and vent the smell down the street . I also remember that smell wonderful.

There is a strong and distinct aroma around Civic Hall...I think it's the stench of ineptitude with more than a hint of arrogance.    

Not noticed for a while now, maybe they've improved 'emission' control but, with the wind in the right direction in east Leeds, it was easy to determine what flavour deodorant Soapy Joes was turning out that day!

Another one I recall, although it was far from being a favorite pong was found to emanate from a place close to Morley Low station called Harder Bros. They specialise in producing sausage skins or 'casings' as they call them. The odour was extraordinarily offensive and rancid in nature. Probably due to the vast quantities of offal - sheep and pig intestines and the process they went through to clean them of their.. ahem.. contents.... urrp! Hope nobody is having sausages for tea!?