Leeds Lost Schools

[DOBBO]

Does anyone have any recollection of St Patricks junior school on York Road opposite Curtis Shopfitters and Hemingways Brewery. I cant find any reference to it or any pictures - Iwas there from 1955 to 1959 when we moved from East End Park to Crossgates

[Si]

DOBBO wrote: Does anyone have any recollection of St Patricks junior school on York Road opposite Curtis Shopfitters and Hemingways Brewery. I cant find any reference to it or any pictures - Iwas there from 1955 to 1959 when we moved from East End Park to Crossgates I've had a quick look on Leodis, but this is the only one I could find! Not the best photo, I know.

[whippetgirl]

wayniac wrote: Longy wrote: Greetings, I was a pupil at Central from 65 to 72 during the reign of Rocky. I was glad to see the names of some of the old folks there (I have now been teaching for more than 30 years so I suppose that's me now) Do you all remember these worthies; A. C. (Cedric) Felston who taught Chemistry; Weir Marshall; Acker Freeman (Music); Gabby Ainsworth and his handmade model locomotive; Dagger Greenwood (TD?); Paddy O'Neill popping across to the bookies over the road; Robin Brown (who taught English and had a party piece of jumping from floor to your desk in one leap - quite disconcerting at times).I remember many of those mentioned Ezra Turner had a plimsole with which he administered encouragement which must have belonged to Coco the clown - it was enormous and it stung. So much for the milk of human kindness - a Methodist local preacher too if I remember correctly. The odour of pipe and cigarette smoke from the staff room seemed to permeate the whole floor. I often wondered how they could see through the fug.Happy days, remember - the lads used the Wade, the staff used the Wayfinder. I missed out on Central High in 1962 because I was told I was too young to take the 11+ (I was 10). I'd been moved up grades and studied with a whole group who were a year older.My heart was set on going to Central High because it was a soccer school. In 1963 when I took the 11+ I put Temple Moor as my third choice with Central High First.I had Cockburn as choice 2 because the whole family were orginally Hunslet/Holbeck people.Living at East End Park, the 61 Circular went close to Central High and all the buses going down York Road too.They sent me and all our year to Temple Moor! A couple of people ended up at Foxwood but for some crazy reason we had to travel 3 miles to Temple Moor and it was a rugby union playing school.The rest is history as they say. We also had Cedric Felston, I think we drove him out of Temple Moor. Poor guy was so nerdy, we gave him hell...Anyone remember Steve Lally, Michael Ward, John Thompson from Central High? Steve was a good mate of mine, lived near the Slip Inn and later to Halton Moor Avenue.I feel like I went to Central High because all my mates would talk about Rocky Rockcliffe and of course a few of my sweethearts were Thoresby girls

[whippetgirl]

whippetgirl wrote: wayniac wrote: Longy wrote: Greetings, I was a pupil at Central from 65 to 72 during the reign of Rocky. I was glad to see the names of some of the old folks there (I have now been teaching for more than 30 years so I suppose that's me now) Do you all remember these worthies; A. C. (Cedric) Felston who taught Chemistry; Weir Marshall; Acker Freeman (Music); Gabby Ainsworth and his handmade model locomotive; Dagger Greenwood (TD?); Paddy O'Neill popping across to the bookies over the road; Robin Brown (who taught English and had a party piece of jumping from floor to your desk in one leap - quite disconcerting at times).I remember many of those mentioned Ezra Turner had a plimsole with which he administered encouragement which must have belonged to Coco the clown - it was enormous and it stung. So much for the milk of human kindness - a Methodist local preacher too if I remember correctly. The odour of pipe and cigarette smoke from the staff room seemed to permeate the whole floor. I often wondered how they could see through the fug.Happy days, remember - the lads used the Wade, the staff used the Wayfinder. I missed out on Central High in 1962 because I was told I was too young to take the 11+ (I was 10). I'd been moved up grades and studied with a whole group who were a year older.My heart was set on going to Central High because it was a soccer school. In 1963 when I took the 11+ I put Temple Moor as my third choice with Central High First.I had Cockburn as choice 2 because the whole family were orginally Hunslet/Holbeck people.Living at East End Park, the 61 Circular went close to Central High and all the buses going down York Road too.They sent me and all our year to Temple Moor! A couple of people ended up at Foxwood but for some crazy reason we had to travel 3 miles to Temple Moor and it was a rugby union playing school.The rest is history as they say. We also had Cedric Felston, I think we drove him out of Temple Moor. Poor guy was so nerdy, we gave him hell...Anyone remember Steve Lally, Michael Ward, John Thompson from Central High? Steve was a good mate of mine, lived near the Slip Inn and later to Halton Moor Avenue.I feel like I went to Central High because all my mates would talk about Rocky Rockcliffe and of course a few of my sweethearts were Thoresby girls Er....? Excuse me but ALL of the Thoreseby girls were sweethearts! xx

[jim]

A lost school that I don't think has been mentioned here before was Princes Field on Jack Lane, just east the old library at the Holbeck end. My mother taught there for a while.An aunt of mine had a vocation for what was then known as ESN work ( a totally unacceptable term these days I'm afraid, due to being non-PC ) and spent most of her teaching career at Lovell Road and Armley Lodge.Another similar school which was still operating in the early sixties was in Hunslet Lane opposite the entrance to the goods yard. I don't think any of them remain.

[Good-Honest-Iago]

Here are some images I took of the former St Michael's Catholic College. Hope some of you can share some memories of the place http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesw-bell/tags/smc/

[Bert]

I went to Leeds Central High from 1955 to 1962. I left Leeds after leaving school and spent most of my life abroad, mainly in Japan. In 2000 I happened to make a business trip to Leeds with a Japanese colleague from Tokyo, and when we found ourselves with an hour or two to fill in our programm one afternoon, I suggested we go and see my old school. I realised something was wrong when, as I waxed poetic about my alma mater outside the Great George Street entrance to the playground, an old down-and-out came out through the gates taking swigs out of a bottle of booze wrapped in a brown paper bag. Only someone steeped in things Japanese could understand how profound my embarrassment was. Then I noticed the blue heritage plaque, which added insult to my injury by naming it only as the former 'Leeds City School'. not Leeds Central High. Presumably some official thought political correctness about the evils of selective education more important than history. Then I noticed another sign which explained all - my beloved school - to which I owe everything in life - was now a social security office.

[Patexpat]

Social Security office? Oh my goodness .... not wishing to exhibit any snobbishness but when I think of the history of my old school ..... and BTW the plaque should at least have said 'CITY OF LEEDS SCHOOL' not 'LEEDS CITY SCHOOL' (Central High I strongly think would have been more appropriate).Sad days....

[peterg]

I was at St. Michael's from 1943 to 1951 and have other entries further back on this thread. One of my everlasting memories (but not the only one) is scoring the winning goal AET in the Scratch Eights Final in 1948. It was in fact a Golden Goal, since the ten minutes extra time had finished without any change in the score. One of our teammates was Brian Bolus, later Yorks and England cricketer.

[Septic Tank]

I attended Central between 66-71, in all honesty I hated every day there. My only bit of pleasure was playing in the chess team and visiting proper schools with playing fields, nice outlooks, modern facilities etc, spent more time on the LCT busses schlepping between games at West Park, woodwork at the Mechanics Institute Woodhouse, swimming at the Olympic and Armley for the swimming gala, then athletics day at Temple Newsam. The masters were allright, Ernie 'get thettled' Stern was a gent, Stanislaus Leopold Mackiewitz was good, had Rocky wayed up as a fascist, Terry Clift, Mr Walshaw, Ced Felston, 'Tossy" Brostoff. Herbie Thompson was a superstar, he would be doing time these days, 1st class psycho & bully. Rags Buckley was a case, chain smoking and all. Stan Mac I heard went to Oz, the rest will probably have passed bless them, Willy Wombat should still be with us, guess Acker has gone to the great public lavatory in the sky, as his favourite pastime was 'checking them out.'