Schofields Department Store - 1980s Photos

Dobbie54 · Post by **Dobbie54** » Sat 17 Oct, 2009 6:33 pm

I remember going to the Cafe up on the top floor with my Mam.The view was fantastic overlooking the rooftops of Leeds and a good view of the Odeon.Also the first time I'd ever seen sugar cubes.Strange what you remember isn't it. Also remember queing for hours down the Headrow for the January sales.Happy days

Kelvinator · Post by **Kelvinator** » Wed 31 Mar, 2010 6:26 pm

I have many happy memories of Schofields. As a child in the seventies and eighties, it was the last word in civilised shopping with your mum. Somehow, it just oozed class. The restaurants, the lifts with their different coloured buttons, the menswear department in the basement, the toy shop upstairs and the quaint little food hall that always smelled of fresh coffee.I still miss it now and I guess many others do. Lewis' too. Leeds may be the Knightsbridge of the north, but it just doesn't have department stores like it used to. You can keep Harvey Nichols. Bring back Schofields.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 31 Mar, 2010 7:42 pm

Kelvinator wrote: I still miss it now and I guess many others do. Lewis' too. Leeds may be the Knightsbridge of the north, but it just doesn't have department stores like it used to. You can keep Harvey Nichols. Bring back Schofields. I agree entirely Kelvinator. As a child in the 1940s I drool over my memories of "the original" Schofields. The lifts were wonderful aged gated types with humble smartly uniformed operators, some of whom Bless 'em were rather poor drivers and had to make several attempts at a satisfactorily accurate "landing" at the various floors.On arriving at the original second floor restaurant in one such magnificent conveyance you were greeted by immaculate service of the highest order. First you were met by a most dignified mature lady who would enquire "How many ??" She would then, by very discreet high class "Tic tic", convey this requirement to a superb military type chap - a bit like Ronald Coleman and similar Hollywood heartthrobs of the time - and he would somehow find a suitable table in the enormous restaurant. He had an artificial arm with leather glove (no doubt a result of WW2 heroism) and was later to be seen around Leeds in the immaculate uniform of the British Legion (I think) office messengers.That Schofields restaurant was sumptuously carpeted and the linen, cutlery and china were superb, but having said that the beautiful food was not at all expensive.I'd hate to give the idea that I was some sort of snobbish toff in those days - my folks were very poor indeed and we could only afford to go there as a very occasional treat. I can picture the place and the characters accurately to this day and these are among many happy memories of what was, to those of my era, a very happy Leeds indeed - the cinemas, the dance halls, the theatres, the many department stores etc etc - how many remember M.C.Hitchen and Sons on the corner of Kirkgate and Briggate - well if you can't, just picture Grace Brothers and Mrs. Slocombe and young Mr.Grace and there you have it !! Happy happy days.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Thu 01 Apr, 2010 12:11 am

BLAKEY wrote: well if you can't, just picture Grace Brothers and Mrs. Slocombe and young Mr.Grace and there you have it !! Happy happy days. What about Mrs Slocombe's pussy?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Thu 01 Apr, 2010 8:41 am

Trojan wrote: BLAKEY wrote: well if you can't, just picture Grace Brothers and Mrs. Slocombe and young Mr.Grace and there you have it !! Happy happy days. What about Mrs Slocombe's pussy? Seriously though, even in times as relatively recent as Hitchen's store, such risque humour just didn't seem to be around in general - and certainly not on "Aunty BBC."Also, apart from anything else, there was a CLAWS in the Planning Consent which prohibited the selling of such services in the Store !!

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Thu 01 Apr, 2010 4:23 pm

Geordie-exile wrote: The old Yorkshire Post building on Albion Street had one of these tube systems for whooshing copy from editorial to typesetting. You had to open the lids on the ends of the tubes and 'pump' air so that stuff didn't get stuck in the tube.In the 'new' Yorkshire Post building on Wellington Street there was originally a type of rubber conveyor belt in which you trapped the copy and it whizzed away to be typeset or whatever. I still have a yard of that conveyor belting on my fishing box at the back of the garage.

purplezulu · Post by **purplezulu** » Thu 01 Apr, 2010 11:43 pm

Cardiarms wrote: I can remember going for a bun in the cafe. Wlaking back through the carpet section some kid was larking around and his dad laid down the law in a booming voice, "Barrington, desist!"The old shop looks a lot smarter than the shopping centre there now. Barrington, desist I don't think I am ever going to stop laughing after reading that ha ha What a fantastic set of pictures - i have been browsing this site for a while now but missed those completely. A real treat to see where all those magic tubes and canesters ended up - being of a curious (Ok nosy) disposition

purplezulu · Post by **purplezulu** » Thu 01 Apr, 2010 11:57 pm

Johnny39 wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: The old Yorkshire Post building on Albion Street had one of these tube systems for whooshing copy from editorial to typesetting. You had to open the lids on the ends of the tubes and 'pump' air so that stuff didn't get stuck in the tube.In the 'new' Yorkshire Post building on Wellington Street there was originally a type of rubber conveyor belt in which you trapped the copy and it whizzed away to be typeset or whatever. I still have a yard of that conveyor belting on my fishing box at the back of the garage. Best kind of re-cycling is that - keeping a little piece of Leeds history and putting it to good use

anthonydna · Post by **anthonydna** » Fri 02 Apr, 2010 12:42 am

If it was from the YEP recently you would have it on your Fishing Bocks

Nell · Post by **Nell** » Sat 25 Sep, 2010 9:14 am

My dad also use to work at schofields so practically grew up in the place on the Headrow. My dad was the furniture department supervisor and used to do nightwatch somenights till about 10 for a bit of extra money.I remember the paternosta lift, it was for staff only and my dad frequently used to get on it reading his paper and forget to get off and end up going right round it. It was a continuous lift that never stopped. It only went slowly and I presume must have been on some kind of belt cos it went down/up in a rotation. Basically if you forgot to get off youd end up at the bottom, back then top of the lift shaft and have to wait to come round to the frong again. I was scared to death of the thing and used to shut my eyes when I went on it. It was in the furniture building at the back of the food hall.The food hall smelt amazing, the only thing I have ever found that remotely resembles the small of schofields food hall is Harrods food hall. It must be to do with the mix of the meats and cheeses and the temperature that its kept at but everytime I walk into Harrods food dept I could shut my eyes and be 5 again.I remember the cloack rooms for the staff really well. The doors were opp where warehouse is now, frosted glass with the 'S' on them. Through the door and down a few steps where 2 guys used to stand behind the counter and behind them lots of dark green metal shelving with numbers on. Staff used to take their bags to them, the guys would put them on a shelf and give them a tag in return.That place was part of growing up for me, i loved every minute of being there. Thanks for those photos, fantastic reminder.