Victorian Quarter-cellars

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sazzle
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Joined: Thu 27 Sep, 2007 4:29 pm

Post by sazzle »

HiI'm a recent member of this site and not sure if this has been mentioned before, can't see that it has and so apologies if I'm repeating a thread. I wrote about this on the BBC Leeds site Hidden Leeds page a few years ago and it seemed to generate some interest so thought you folks would be interested.I used to work in a shop on King Edward Street. When I worked there it was MVC, it is now Jigsaw. It's the shop that has the 2 staircases and the glass domed ceiling.There were massive cellars which, if I remember correctly, stretched back longer than the shop although my memory may not be 100% correct. I worked there 1996-1997 so quite a while ago.Down in the cellars there was a big room we used for storage and for saving cardboard for when the 'cardboard man' came. There were actually a few incidents of the cardboard having being moved about during the night, rather than in small piles it had all been moved into one huge pile. People said it was a ghost, I was never sure about that.Also down there were male/female toilets, I think there were at least 4 cubicles in the ladies. There was also cardboard facades which I think came from when the shop had been a furniture shop previously. Then further back was a fire escape that I think came out inside the arcade, maybe opposite where the 'back door' of Harvey Nichols is. But what intrigues me most was right at the back of the cellar where there was a locked door. You could see some old flooring under the door, I think it was sort of panelled flooring. Always really intrigued me. I think there were some other locked doors down there, I assume linking to other cellars?Upstairs were a few floors full of old stuff, with yet more toilets. Seemed to be a lot of toilets but I think the shop was a teadance place year ago?I guess all the shops around there have similar cellars. I wonder what could be down there....
Saz

simonm
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Post by simonm »

I can remember, as a kid, passing the back of Debenhams, on the corner of Fish st and the massive cellers the blokes were being delivered into. It looked like a pub celler.Highly likely, given the age of the buildings, that the cellers wouldbe huge down there?
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Phill_d
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Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 6:22 am

Post by Phill_d »

Hi Sazzle.. Well i can say there is cellars under there. I worked on that 'Landmark Leeds' paving job. we were doing all the formwork for those big marble clad tree planters and the raised seating area outside W. H. smith. anyway when they excavated down along commercial street they uncovered these cellars and we had to go down there and add extra concrete beams to carry the weight. We went in that door in your record shop to do the work. I remember there was all the c'd's in racks down there all labeled like you'd buy them in the shop above.. We had to go in your place, The Leeds library, W.H smith & the Sock shop over the road i can recall. I can't remember when that job was though.. About 92 was it maybe? There was nothing different to the cellars already under there and nothing mysterious or special about them really.
A fool spends his entire life digging a hole for himself.A wise man knows when it's time to stop!(phill.d 2010)http://flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/

sazzle
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Joined: Thu 27 Sep, 2007 4:29 pm

Post by sazzle »

I didn't think Landmark Leeds went as far down as King Edward Street? And I think MVC only opened in 1996. I wonder if it was the old HMV shop you were in where there were the cds in racks? What used to be next to the back of Marks and Spencers?Anyway I'm sure there are empty cellars everywhere around there. Seems a waste of space. They should have shops down there and have a nice park area where the Schofields centre is rather than redevelop it.
Saz

Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

I know it was the record shop anyway.. I can't think what the name was... The paving job thats falling to bits now goes all the way from to Boots & then to Briggate when we worked on it. I'll try find out when the job was..
A fool spends his entire life digging a hole for himself.A wise man knows when it's time to stop!(phill.d 2010)http://flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/

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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

MVC was at the Vicar Lane End of King Edward Street Phil,weel away from Landmark Leeds.There was the old HMV next to M&S.Im not sure,but was the MVC unit once part of the department store Cashdeshia,which went down to,and then continued to front onto Vicar Lane?I vaguely remember the place as a kid,it was on a number of floors and i remember being fascinated with a series of pipes along the walls and the ceiling which had a vacuum system to move bundles of money,placed in a container,from the counters around the store up to the office where the money was kept and counted.This is something you now see in Asda etc,a safer way of moving money around the store.I also remember Cashdeshia had these large old wooden and glass display cases for its merchandise and the smell of wood polish that must have been used for these old display cases.It really was from another age.
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wiggy
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Post by wiggy »

cnosni wrote: MVC was at the Vicar Lane End of King Edward Street Phil,weel away from Landmark Leeds.There was the old HMV next to M&S.Im not sure,but was the MVC unit once part of the department store Cashdeshia,which went down to,and then continued to front onto Vicar Lane?I vaguely remember the place as a kid,it was on a number of floors and i remember being fascinated with a series of pipes along the walls and the ceiling which had a vacuum system to move bundles of money,placed in a container,from the counters around the store up to the office where the money was kept and counted.This is something you now see in Asda etc,a safer way of moving money around the store.I also remember Cashdeshia had these large old wooden and glass display cases for its merchandise and the smell of wood polish that must have been used for these old display cases.It really was from another age. are we on about willis ludlows old building??
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LS1
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Post by LS1 »

I think Phil you are thinking about Our Price, that used to be where the Disney Store is now. I think it was an Andy's Records also at one point. I remember MVC. It disnt last long and for some daft reason you needed a membership card, but anyone could get one. Just like Tradex! - Reminds me of the Groucho Marks quip, I wouldnt belong to a club that would have me as a member. MVC was about two or three doors down from where the King Edward Street exit to Cross Arcade is (if I remember correctly!)

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cnosni
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Post by cnosni »

wiggy wrote: cnosni wrote: MVC was at the Vicar Lane End of King Edward Street Phil,weel away from Landmark Leeds.There was the old HMV next to M&S.Im not sure,but was the MVC unit once part of the department store Cashdeshia,which went down to,and then continued to front onto Vicar Lane?I vaguely remember the place as a kid,it was on a number of floors and i remember being fascinated with a series of pipes along the walls and the ceiling which had a vacuum system to move bundles of money,placed in a container,from the counters around the store up to the office where the money was kept and counted.This is something you now see in Asda etc,a safer way of moving money around the store.I also remember Cashdeshia had these large old wooden and glass display cases for its merchandise and the smell of wood polish that must have been used for these old display cases.It really was from another age. are we on about willis ludlows old building?? Not sure wiggy,i remember the store name but i know when i was little (same time as you)it was Cashdesia that fronted onto Vicar Lane and round to King Edward Street.You must remember these are memories formed as a child,perhaps some more "Sagely" member of the forum could let us know.
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LS1
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Post by LS1 »

Willis Ludlow was on the opposite corner, over Vicar Lane down Ludgate hill I thought?

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