Feature - March 2007, Leeds Town Hall

[munki]

The Cathedral thing is one of the reasons why Leeds had to wait so long to become a city, because we don't actually fit that definition, what with our CofE cathedral being in Ripon.

[cnosni]

Phill_d wrote: Good one csnosi... It goes on population but i'd say Doncaster was a big un.. It all depends on the boundaries these days... Leeds stretches out miles but i don't consider half of it to be Leeds... I know the good folk of Morley are pretty annoyed about it Oh yeah but it suits em when abroad when asked where they are from.In years gone by Morley was more associated with Birstall and Dewsbury,looking at old census that is where it was shown as being "within"Seems that the younger generations are becoming more comfortable with the idea of being part of Leeds,though i would hate to see places like Morley and Otley lose their identity,i think thats a bit of a Yorkshire trait,being part of Yorkshire but still independent in a sense of identity,similar of that to Yorkshire and the rest of the country.Doncaster applied,along with a number of othere towns,to be created a city in 2000.It got knocked back so there must now be an element of civic/political qualification to becoming a city these days as St George's in Donny is a minster,same as York has a minster,which counts as its cathedral.

[tyke bhoy]

Ely in Cambridgeshire, like Wells, is another City mainly down to its Cathederal rather than its size/population http://cityofely.eastcambs.gov.uk/html/ ... y.htmlBack on topic. Leeds City Council was renamd from Leeds Metropolitan District Council but still covers the former Metropolitan District which disappeared when the Metropolitan County Councils did. As I understand it Garforth, Otley, Morley, Pudsey, Wetherby and Rothwell are towns in their own right, even though the boundaries might have blurred under the urban sprawl, and were never part of the City of Leeds, although administered by LCC and LMDC before that. There are also a lare number of villages that fit that category including Farnley, Churwell, Robin Hood, Lofthouse, Swillington, Barwick, Scarcroft, Poole, Bramhope. I don't know where Horsforth fits in and apologies to those who's Town or more likely village I have missed.

[tyke bhoy]

Oops. Just discovered that the 1974 creation of LMDC also conferred the city status of "the county borough of Leeds" on the expanded Metropolitan District. So yes all those Towns and Villages have been part of the City of Leeds since 1974.I think it has been discussed on another thread that the people of Rothwell wanted to be included in Wakefield MDC.

[cnosni]

tyke bhoy wrote: Oops. Just discovered that the 1974 creation of LMDC also conferred the city status of "the county borough of Leeds" on the expanded Metropolitan District. So yes all those Towns and Villages have been part of the City of Leeds since 1974.I think it has been discussed on another thread that the people of Rothwell wanted to be included in Wakefield MDC. Let em go,they have a bee in their bonnet because Leeds used to be referred to as being "near rothwell" and now of course its the other way round,i see that Outwood is going to come under Leeds,now that is stretching it!!

[tyke bhoy]

Is it? The border is at Lofthouse golf club at present. Including Outwood would move the border a mile nearer Wakefield and would almost certainly put it within or very close to a mile from the Cathederal as t'crow flies and not much over the mile by road (5 minutes on a bus last night)

[cnosni]

tyke bhoy wrote: Is it? The border is at Lofthouse golf club at present. Including Outwood would move the border a mile nearer Wakefield and would almost certainly put it within or very close to a mile from the Cathederal as t'crow flies and not much over the mile by road (5 minutes on a bus last night) A work colleague of mine who lives there told me this was the case,getting LS postcode and cahnges to all their insurance premiums,they are not happy!!Still,im not happy about getting Outwood!

[Phill_d]

I went round the old cells tonight with a guy from the t.v.. It was Eric Ambler who should us around munki... He said he knew you mate & gave his regards I'll post a couple of shots i got. There's still the shackles & chain hooks on the walls and slop buckets in the corner! Nice touch! This arch is directly under the town hall steps with 3 cell doors on the left.     

[Phill_d]

This is the middle cell. It's the longest one with a strange arch at the very end. It looks to me if it might have been a longer passage at one time leading off further under the town hall. I wonder do you know munki?    

[Phill_d]

They must have given them strong tea looking at that slop bucket