"Blind" back to backs

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Mon 12 Jul, 2010 9:52 pm

The Parksider wrote: Leeds Hippo wrote: From Leodis Site28th May 1965. On the left of this view numbers 4 and 2 Cricketers Street are visible. These are blind back properties with a small alleyway separating them from Southfield Mount, the gable end of which is visible on the right. View looks from Wesley Road.You would have to be a skinny guy to get down this alley way! Alan Godfetys notes to his upper armley repro map refer to the rows of backs on st ives mount, edingburgh road and edingburgh grove and terrace.The gap is "a few inches" but he doesn't explain this. This wasn't a way to avoid any law against new back to backs being built was it? Thanks Parksider - have visited these streets (in Google Street View) can't remember seeing anything like this outside Leeds - must have been difficult to cement the 2nd blind back. The one on St Ives Mount almost obscures the other houses window!http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... ,0,7.24Can you imagine trying to get planning permission today if you said you wanted to build within 6 inches of the next door neighbours house!

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 13 Jul, 2010 2:09 pm

Back to backs were outlawed in the alte 19th century but many had already been approved so they continued to be build well into the 20th century (even to the 1930's). A lot of the back to backs that were build originally were quite haphazard due to the alck of any building regulations and the fact that different speculative builders would buy land and build as much as they could on it with little regard to hygine and any sanitary measures. This is why you often find different styles of housing so cloe to each other as they were build by different builders.

dogduke · Post by **dogduke** » Tue 13 Jul, 2010 9:04 pm

Leeds Hippo wrote: Seen a few of "single" back to backs - here's some in Beeston Similar shaped houses Stanley Road/Ashley Road known I thinkas salt box houses

shutthatdoor · Post by **shutthatdoor** » Wed 14 Jul, 2010 6:12 pm

If you googlemap "Pasture View LS12 3NA" you will find another row of blind back houses, very near to Armley Park. One side of the street, numbers 1 to 21, were blind back with a narrow 3 foot wide passage running along the length of the blind back side.The other side of the passage was a factory wall. Result...us kids could shin up between the two walls to a considerable height until we ran out of wall 20 feet up the factory side.At around the time this street was built, blind back construction for housing was being discouraged by local authorities These houses probably only passed planning when built, by having an individual outside loo for each property, down outside steps, at cellar level.We might have had an outside loo,which froze over in winter, but it was our own outside loo and we felt rather privileged. The wall of death and our own loo, what a winning combination.

AngryofMayfair · Post by **AngryofMayfair** » Thu 15 Jul, 2010 2:19 pm

Here's another fine example, just off Whingate Rd, now long gone...http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... PLAY=FULLI remember losing a brand new rubber ball down that little gap!

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Thu 15 Jul, 2010 2:33 pm

AngryofMayfair wrote: Here's another fine example, just off Whingate Rd, now long gone...http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... PLAY=FULLI remember losing a brand new rubber ball down that little gap! I always wondered what would happen if a cat got in there and died - there's not much you could do to get it out.

shutthatdoor · Post by **shutthatdoor** » Thu 15 Jul, 2010 2:38 pm

Two tom cats meeting head on from opposite directions would have been hilarious

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Thu 15 Jul, 2010 2:41 pm

Wonder why so many of these houses are located in the West of Leeds e.g. Armley, Farsley areas