Weaver's Square, Bank

Si · Post by Si » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 11:17 am

Whilst idly looking through Leodis (as you do) I came across an interesting picture taken in the 1890s of a wooden framed building about to be demolished in Weaver's Square, Bank. I presume it may be medieval by it's construction, and was of sufficient interest for the Victorian workmen to call a photographer, before flattening it! It turns out that this area was bought by Richard Kendall, named as a shoemaker by profession (but probably a boot and shoe manufacturer) in the 1780s, and by 1790, he owned 90 premises in the area with a rateable value of (in today's money) 68p per annum. I guess it must have been a pretty rough area even then! It caught my eye because over the road was The Boot and Shoe Inn, run in the 1890s by my great great grandad. There was also a Boot and Shoe Mills round the corner on Richmond Road. Were these buildings built/owned by Richard Kendall, the shoemaker? According to the 1908 map, there was also a Kendall Place and a Kendall Buildings in the Weaver's Square area.Anyone have any thoughts? Cnosni?

Si · Post by Si » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 11:18 am

The Boot and Shoe opposite Weaver's Square.Does it look late 18th century? Also, on the 1908 map, a pub is shown in Weaver's Square. Anyone know it's name?

Post by **cnosni** » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 12:33 pm

Si wrote: The Boot and Shoe opposite Weaver's Square.Does it look late 18th century? Also, on the 1908 map, a pub is shown in Weaver's Square. Anyone know it's name? Could be wrong but the size of the windows and general straight lines of the building (think Crown and Fleece defo 18th century)seem to show its early 19th century,Drapesy?? Having said that this building is not as old in the picture as the Crown and Fleece appears to us now,so you never know.From Leeds PR i have seen exmples of habitation on the Bank from at least the 17th Century,withvarious baptisms and Burials so the timber building suggests a possible earlier habitation.

Post by **cnosni** » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 12:42 pm

Si wrote: Whilst idly looking through Leodis (as you do) I came across an interesting picture taken in the 1890s of a wooden framed building about to be demolished in Weaver's Square, Bank. I presume it may be medieval by it's construction, and was of sufficient interest for the Victorian workmen to call a photographer, before flattening it! It turns out that this area was bought by Richard Kendall, a shoemaker by profession, in the 1780s, and by 1790, he owned 90 premises in the area with a rateable value of (in today's money) 68p per annum. I guess it must have been a pretty rough area even then! It caught my eye because over the road was The Boot and Shoe Inn, run in the 1890s by my great great grandad. There was also a Boot and Shoe Mills round the corner on Richmond Road. Were these buildings built/owned by Richard Kendall, the shoemaker? According to the 1908 map, there was also a Kendall Place and a Kendall Buildings in the Weaver's Square area.Anyone have any thoughts? Cnosni? Id say youre spot on Si,owning 90 properties is no mean feat and i dare say he was coining it in from all the Irish settlers who had been moving in since the 1850s.Ther were lots of examples of shanty housing,not necessarily tents etc but reallly poorly built properties with as many people as possible crammed in.its quite likely that Mr Kendall would have gone in for redevelopment,clearing away older buildings, such as the one in the picture,to make buildings with more rooms,so he could have more tenants,and more money.Im quite sure he would have ingratiated himself by naming such developments after himself,i wouldnt be surprised if he owned the Boot and Shoe,letting it out to tenant landlords.Good innit,own a shoe factory,pay your poor desperate immigrant work force a pittance so you can make maximum profit ,then charge those same people rent and then take the slice of the profits grom the local pub where the male workforce would have spent what little they had left.Win win win!!Having said that he could well have been a benevolent chap,though i somehow doubt it.

liits · Post by **liits** » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 7:57 pm

Si wrote: The Boot and Shoe opposite Weaver's Square.Does it look late 18th century? Also, on the 1908 map, a pub is shown in Weaver's Square. Anyone know it's name? The other Pub in Weaver's Square was the Leeds Arms.

sundowner · Post by **sundowner** » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 8:14 pm

cnosni wrote: Si wrote: Whilst idly looking through Leodis (as you do) I came across an interesting picture taken in the 1890s of a wooden framed building about to be demolished in Weaver's Square, Bank. I presume it may be medieval by it's construction, and was of sufficient interest for the Victorian workmen to call a photographer, before flattening it! It turns out that this area was bought by Richard Kendall, a shoemaker by profession, in the 1780s, and by 1790, he owned 90 premises in the area with a rateable value of (in today's money) 68p per annum. I guess it must have been a pretty rough area even then! It caught my eye because over the road was The Boot and Shoe Inn, run in the 1890s by my great great grandad. There was also a Boot and Shoe Mills round the corner on Richmond Road. Were these buildings built/owned by Richard Kendall, the shoemaker? According to the 1908 map, there was also a Kendall Place and a Kendall Buildings in the Weaver's Square area.Anyone have any thoughts? Cnosni? Id say youre spot on Si,owning 90 properties is no mean feat and i dare say he was coining it in from all the Irish settlers who had been moving in since the 1850s.Ther were lots of examples of shanty housing,not necessarily tents etc but reallly poorly built properties with as many people as possible crammed in.its quite likely that Mr Kendall would have gone in for redevelopment,clearing away older buildings, such as the one in the picture,to make buildings with more rooms,so he could have more tenants,and more money.Im quite sure he would have ingratiated himself by naming such developments after himself,i wouldnt be surprised if he owned the Boot and Shoe,letting it out to tenant landlords.Good innit,own a shoe factory,pay your poor desperate immigrant work force a pittance so you can make maximum profit ,then charge those same people rent and then take the slice of the profits grom the local pub where the male workforce would have spent what little they had left.Win win win!!Having said that he could well have been a benevolent chap,though i somehow doubt it. Hi cnosni I think i am right in saying in Japan they still do this kind of thing.Some of the big factorys have housing plus stores on site and i think schools i am not saying they pay the workers a pittance but has they say what goes around comes around.

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Wed 16 Sep, 2009 9:15 pm

Si wrote: The Boot and Shoe opposite Weaver's Square.Does it look late 18th century? Also, on the 1908 map, a pub is shown in Weaver's Square. Anyone know it's name? It reminds me of the Spring Close only bigger. Wonder when that was built?

Si · Post by Si » Thu 17 Sep, 2009 10:22 am

Thanks everyone.How did you know it was the Leeds Arms, Liits?The Boot and Shoe was on the corner below the ND of Richmond Street on the map.This is the site today, thanks to Google Earth street view. Note East Street Mills still visible behind, and Smithies Garth Rec beyond Bow Street.

Si · Post by Si » Thu 17 Sep, 2009 10:45 am

Geordie-exile wrote: Si wrote: The Boot and Shoe opposite Weaver's Square.Does it look late 18th century? Also, on the 1908 map, a pub is shown in Weaver's Square. Anyone know it's name? It reminds me of the Spring Close only bigger. Wonder when that was built? Although nearby, I think the Spring Close is Victorian. The B&S looks older to me.Drapesy? Any ideas?

liits · Post by **liits** » Thu 17 Sep, 2009 7:43 pm

Si wrote: Thanks everyone.How did you know it was the Leeds Arms, Liits?The Boot and Shoe was on the corner below the ND of Richmond Street on the map.This is the site today, thanks to Google Earth street view. Note East Street Mills still visible behind, and Smithies Garth Rec beyond Bow Street. Leeds Arms, 54 Weaver Square, Richmond St. shows in Kelly's Directory 1916 as a commercial lodging house [prop. Mrs J Robinson]In the 1925 Leeds Trade Directory as the Leeds Arms and by the time the 1947 Kelly's is published [so the info was collated around 1945/46] Weaver Square is gone. My earlier [than 1916] edition of Kelly's is on loan to my brother at the moment so I can't check the details.