SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I got married in the Town Hall, not he register office bit but the Victoria Hall. This meant we could invite the guests to 'gather around the base of the large organ'!Totally over the top but a bargain at £200.

External changes to Leeds Town Hall.Sorry if already covered elsewhere.1858 Town Hall opened by HM Queen Victoria 1867 West Riding Assizes to be held in Leedsa curved shape (see below).1867 Four stone lions made of Portland stone were added to the four plinths beside the main entrance. The sculptor was William Day Keyworth (see below).1937 -41 Steps altered back to original straight layout.        

The following event on today's date (June 7) in 1867 is reported on page 113 of John Mayhall's 'Annals of Yorkshire from the earliest period to the present time' volume III covering 1866-1874. "The two lions in front of the Town Hall, Leeds, at the entrance to the Police Office, completing the set of four entrusted by the Corporation to Mr. W. D. Keyworth, junr., of London, were uncovered in the presence of Mr. Ald. Botterill (the chairman of the Town Hall Committee), and a body of spectators. The cost of the four lions was about £550."

Leo hiThat sounds an interesting book (albeit the Shire of York, rather than Leeds only). May I ask how much, and where you found it?

Jogon wrote: Leo hiThat sounds an interesting book (albeit the Shire of York, rather than Leeds only). May I ask how much, and where you found it? Hi JogonI was given vols 2 and 3 at least 40 years back by a neighbour who was clearing out her father's things. The books were in very poor condition even then, but they are OK for reading. I then bought a very much better condition 3 volumes set from a bookseller many years back, which is where I get volume 1 information from. I think Mayhill also produced an annals of Leeds, but I'm by no means sure of that.Incidentally, the lady knew I was also interested in coins and such things so she gave me her father's First World War medals as nobody in her family wanted them. I don't know what happened to her as she moved away soon after. I still have those medals.    

Ta LeoJust had a trawl on Amazon, is this it?http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4 ... 500_.jpgIt is £27 paperback with free delivery, says it's 802 pages with illustrations part of British Library's push to digitise it's collection. Seems a fair price for such a tome.    

Jogon wrote: Ta LeoJust had a trawl on Amazon, is this it?http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4 ... 500_.jpgIt is £27 paperback with free delivery, says it's 802 pages with illustrations part of British Library's push to digitise it's collection. Seems a fair price for such a tome.     Hi Jogon. It is hard to tell from that image. The total number of pages in the three volumes I have is about 2203 but the pages are only about 7x4 inches so if the single digitised volume is a larger page size it might cover the same material.

The following event on today's date (June 8th) in 1868 is reported on page 202 of John Mayhall's 'Annals of Yorkshire from the earliest period to the present time' volume III covering 1866-1874. "Telegraphic communication between the Leeds Police Stations and the Town Hall was established."I wonder how police stations did communicate between each other up to then, if at all? It would also presumably have still been a time when the police whistle was the main way to alert attention to a crime and/or to get help.

I know this thread is 5 years old now but I love it, I can't wait to take the tour myself.

Decorated for Coronation Ceremony 1902And below the King & Queen leaving the Town Hall 1908    And an old PostcardFrom the air 1947The red cross/click to view is a picture which originated "during construction".Portsmouth Town Hall (1890) has always looked 'kinda f'miliar', and perhaps here's why:-"...... The design for the building was under the control of a sub-committee of the Council, the members of which greatly admired the architecture of the modern Town Halls in the North of England, particularly those of Leeds and Bolton. The latter had been designed by Mr William Hill who was appointed the Architect for Portsmouth. He copied many of the features from Bolton but made so many improvements that it was larger by some 412,000 cubic feet. The lowest tender for the construction, which was carried out by Messrs. Armitage and Hodgson of Leeds, was £98,245..."Did they build Leeds?