Bus, crane, crash, copper, subway!

[Trojan]

Phill_dvsn wrote: One thing doesn't ring true to me here.How old were these toilets? I've seen pictures of them when the trams were running (last trams 1959) so that dates them well before the 1965 excavation/accident date quoted on the picture they were been built????         I'm not sure whether they were the same toilets. But the ones I mean at the bottom of Briggate were fairly modern in appearance (in a sixties sort of way) The toilets were definitely there, the question that bugs me is was there or wasn't there a subway. The junction of Briggate and Boar Lane was certainly an extremely busy thoroughfare in the sixties. I'm trying to remember when Briggagte became one way.

[Phill_dvsn]

It would be good to get an idea when these loos were closed, i can't see new toilets been built on that junction in 1965, not replacing the old ones anyway. Why???? There is a clear difference between subway and toilet isn't there?Not all schemes/exploratory digs open do they?I'm thinking about the 'supposed' subway from Leeds city station to the Bond street centre the Leeds city council engineer told me about, there still there to this day he says, he's inspected them, they didn't open them to save the cost of the elevators needed for them apparently.Leeds was undergoing massive changes (and grand plans/ideas) during the 60's and 70's, we have clear evidence of the planned 'city in the sky' with the elevated walkways. Boar lane isn't a million miles away from the new 1967 revamped station, or the new Bond street centre they started in 1973.That crane in the accident picture digging underground toilets (that are already there) in 1965 doesn't sound right to me.             

[Cardiarms]

The original toilets date from the 1880's. There's even some interior pictures which show some ghostly men 'at ease'.http://www.leodis.org/searchResults.asp ... BID=0These 'central carriageway' toilets were gone well before my time but I have no recollecection of a 1960s pedestrian underpass with 'new' toilets.

[Phill_dvsn]

Exactly Cardiarms, those loos are ancient aren't they?, the 1965 date of them been built? mmmm!

[Phill_dvsn]

We know not all things we hear are true, or as grand as there made out to be.The so called 'randy priests tunnel' from the Mabgate to the Parish church a good example.There is no secret tunnel linking the two for the purpose of randy priests having a few swift halves, and visiting the ladies of the night. But there is a tunnel within feet of both places carrying the Meanwood beck.The same thing i've heard mention more than a few times about 'something been under the Duncan/Whip pub and Boar lane area.There is speculative talks about old shop windows and cobbled streets still been under there, apparently you can venture quite away towards Briggate (that of course will be like the secret randy priests tunnel-utter tosh) The landlord of the New Roscoe Noel also told me about it, he has actually been under there, he is friends with the then landlady. It's also quoted somewhere on this hidden Leeds website herehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/20 ... re.shtmlOf course things like this are to be taken with a pinch of salt, but as we know from the Meanwood beck tunnels, there is always a scaled down element of truth in there.I'll quote a Mr Brian Uttley from that hidden Leeds website.***********************************************Remarks on the underground toilets in Briggate "which once had a subway". This was the pedestrian subway from one side of Briggate to the other, but the toilets were there long before the subway was built. When trams ran up and down Briggate. In fact I believe the toilets were there even before the trams! The stairs to the toilets were in the middle of the road, and trams ran either side of the stairs. Quite dangerous at times when in need of a public convenience. There were underground toilets also in City Square, facing the Post Office.             

[carith]

As kids we used to go into town regularly and used the subway often. You could enter at one side of briggate down the steps use the toilets then exit at the other end.

[Phill_dvsn]

A few more 'stories' around that area from the hidden Leeds website. Oh no...don't mention the Kirstall monks tunnel ARGH ************************************************Golfgirl99my friend diane,s mam and dad had the whip hotel on duncan street.i used to collect glasses on a saturday for them .it was a very busy pub with all the leeds fans in on a lunchtime,on an evening it was all the teddy boys and girls.im going back to the late 70s here.in their cellar,which was massive and had loads of little rooms,diane showed me a tunnel.she said it went to whitelocks and then onto kirkstall abbey.it was long very dark and dank.we walked probably to topshop then got scared and ran back.the tunnel up to where we walked wasnt blocked and i often wished id gone further.not that i would now.im even more of a scardy cat now in my 40s as i was in my teens.i wonder if its still there .why dosnt the council open these tunnels and do guided tours.it would generate lots of interest and money.**************************************************Stephen sinnetti worked at H-Samuel on Briggate...it has been redevloped twice since i worked there but if you go down to the cellar , it appears to be like most other store cellars , storing empty boxes and leaflets etc , but to the right of the celler ,which i believe points in the direction of commercial street there is a door and this leads to a complex series of victorian looking tunnels , old toilets etc , unfortunatly i was to scared to explore these tunnels , apart from that my old boss who shall remain nameless "morton" was a bit of a tyrant, but really had a nice side to him, didn´t want us down there too long as we had to take more money upstairs .    

[Phill_dvsn]

carith wrote: As kids we used to go into town regularly and used the subway often. You could enter at one side of briggate down the steps use the toilets then exit at the other end. When did it close Carith? It must have been very short lived, i certainly can't remember it been there in the 70's.

[chameleon]

Phill_dvsn wrote: We know not all things we hear are true, or as grand as there made out to be.The so called 'randy priests tunnel' from the Mabgate to the Parish church a good example.There is no secret tunnel linking the two for the purpose of randy priests having a few swift halves, and visiting the ladies of the night. But there is a tunnel within feet of both places carrying the Meanwood beck.The same thing i've heard mention more than a few times about 'something been under the Duncan/Whip pub and Boar lane area.There is speculative talks about old shop windows and cobbled streets still been under there, apparently you can venture quite away towards Briggate (that of course will be like the secret randy priests tunnel-utter tosh) The landlord of the New Roscoe Noel also told me about it, he has actually been under there, he is friends with the then landlady. It's also quoted somewhere on this hidden Leeds website herehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/20 ... re.shtmlOf course things like this are to be taken with a pinch of salt, but as we know from the Meanwood beck tunnels, there is always a scaled down element of truth in there.I'll quote a Mr Brian Uttley from that hidden Leeds website.***********************************************Remarks on the underground toilets in Briggate "which once had a subway". This was the pedestrian subway from one side of Briggate to the other, but the toilets were there long before the subway was built. When trams ran up and down Briggate. In fact I believe the toilets were there even before the trams! The stairs to the toilets were in the middle of the road, and trams ran either side of the stairs. Quite dangerous at times when in need of a public convenience. There were underground toilets also in City Square, facing the Post Office.              Yes Phill, I don't want to doubt anyone, because I don't know the answer either but, as a very frequent visitor around that bit of town late 60's and early 70's, I find it hard to believe I would have no recollection of a subway - particularly one with a toilet, during the evenings, whilst moving from one place of entertainment to another as it were!Not so much tunnels, but during Dickies production of the Vission for Leeds of which you were a small part, excating the existing streets did reveal a large number of forgotten cellars and towards the western side, shop/house fronts were also seen - it's well established that over time, the street levels as you move north from the station area have been raised. Who knows what else is down there waiting

[Si]

Similarly, I have no recollection of a subway either, but I do remember the big, ugly traffic-light gantries across Briggate. Fascinating thread...