Leeds Combined / Magistrates courts - history?

ARGIE · Post by **ARGIE** » Thu 22 Oct, 2009 11:26 pm

Does anybody know - or have any photographs / maps of - the Combined Court and Mags Court buildings prior to it being built? Also - any stories of pubs, shops, etc that once lurked there?Many thanks in advanceARGIE

Dobbie54 · Post by **Dobbie54** » Thu 22 Oct, 2009 11:59 pm

If I remember rightly the old Tax office stood there.When I was a budding solicitors clerk the magistrates court was in the Town Hall as were the Crown courts.The County court was in Albion place.

Dobbie54 · Post by **Dobbie54** » Fri 23 Oct, 2009 12:01 am

ARGIE wrote: Does anybody know - or have any photographs / maps of - the Combined Court and Mags Court buildings prior to it being built? Also - any stories of pubs, shops, etc that once lurked there?Many thanks in advanceARGIE Where the courts are now the Fire station used to be there also the stables for Police horses.

exploringleeds · Post by **exploringleeds** » Fri 26 Nov, 2010 12:58 pm

Hi,I've written about three buildings that were demolished for the Magistrates Court scheme as part of my Lost Opportunities Revisited series:Former Medical School - http://exploringleeds.blogspot.com/2010 ... htmlFormer City Treasury - http://exploringleeds.blogspot.com/2010 ... tmlWorking Men's Hall - http://exploringleeds.blogspot.com/2010 ... l.htmlJust listing them here for anyone who might search SL and find this thread. There's some photos and quotes in the posts that would be of interest. I even found a link from the Working Men's Hall to Abraham Lincoln. Alex

Post by **chameleon** » Fri 26 Nov, 2010 1:20 pm

Dobbie54 wrote: If I remember rightly the old Tax office stood there.When I was a budding solicitors clerk the magistrates court was in the Town Hall as were the Crown courts.The County court was in Albion place. That was one of several of the old tax collection offices, before they bcame part of the HM Inspectors, now all combined with Customs & Excise and other bits.

jim · Post by **jim** » Fri 26 Nov, 2010 2:16 pm

I believe that in the 1950s the Working Man's Hall was home to Leeds Model Railway Society, if it was the one opposite the old Fire Station.

iansmithofotley · Post by **iansmithofotley** » Fri 26 Nov, 2010 2:57 pm

Hi Argie,The building was the City Treasury. Part of the building was the Motor Vehicles Local Taxation Office where all local vehicular records were kept. During the late 1960's, when there were no computers, or DVLC at Swansea, each vehicle registration number had a paper document file. At this time, the Leeds City Police Information (Control/Communications) Room was situated on the ground floor of Brotherton House. If a Police Officer, in any part of the city, required details of the registered keeper/owner of a motor vehicle then a radio message was passed to the Information Room. During the day, details from the LTO could be obtained by telephone by Police staff, but at other times, if details were urgently required, then a member of the Police Information Room staff would have to get the key, walk across Westgate to the LTO , let themselves in and look up the relevant file themselves. I did it many, many times. From memory, I seem to remember that the LTO moved from Westgate, to premises in Eastgate, and the staff at Millgarth Police Station used to have access, outside office hours.http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... AY=FULLIan