The Safe Deposit Centre on Russell Street.

[Leodian]

A street sign for the Safe Deposit Centre on Russell Street caught my eye on May 14 2015 as I had never seen it before so I assume it is a new venture. The second photo shows the building and the first shows the sign at the junction of Russell Street and Park Row.

I could not help but think it is unfortunate timing to start a Safe Deposit Centre in view of the recentish raid on the vault containing safe deposit boxes at the Hatton Gardens premises in London!

[Happy Valley]

Several large banks have now started closing down their safety deposit boxes in recent years, so I guess that if you need one to try and keep something safe that you really don’t want to keep at home, that private companies like this are going to be the future.

From what I have read about this one online, it looks like it probably opened sometime in late January or early February. Prices for a box start from £135 per annum, and they appear to have been popular with Asian families from the Leeds & Bradford areas over at the Manchester branch which opened in 1912, it sounds like there will probably be a good local demand for them in Leeds.

http://www.stjames-safedeposit.com/news ... -now-open/

I don't think I will ever need one, but I can see that more of them will be opening up to cover what the banks no longer want to keep in the branch vaults.

[Leodian]

Hi Happy Valley . Thanks for the link. In view of the opening date I guess the things I spotted on May 14th may have been part of a formal opening event.

In the information brought up through the link it interestingly states "On a historical note, the premises are situated in the basement of "Greek Street Chambers." This is a historic Leeds city centre landmark, designed in the late 1890's by Sir Alfred Waterhouse. Sir Alfred was also the architect of Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London".