Where is this?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:12 pm

I've always wondered why the Guildford was nicknamed the Merry Boys bar. I've not been in for years, in fact since it was renovated and spoilt as a pub sometime in the 80's. I'm pretty sure it did have, or still could have the ''Merry Boys bar' in stained glass above one of the doors?? Am I correct, or is just failing memory?Anyway The pub that stood there before the Guildford was called 'The Green Dragon' It is described as being situated on 'Merryboys Hill' a term I've never heard of in all my years as a Leeds Loiner. I'm sure the great sounding 'Green Dragon Yard' must have been mentioned on a S.L thread about the yards of Leeds before. The sandstone figures at either end are Atlantes, usually depicted naked, but in this case partly clothed, perhaps so as not to offend the moral sensitivity of Victorian passers-by!I'm not sure what the Victorians would have thought of one of them today then

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:20 pm

One thing I love about Secret Leeds are the little details, facts, and observations that can lead on from one piece of research to another. These often open up a whole load of history and pieces of trivia unknown to most of us previously before. The other day it was the case of the vanishing post box, today it's the smallest stone John Thomas P.S the door on the right lead through to the huge pool room at the back Leodian. I seem to recall there was even the staircase up to the hotel in that long corridor in the 1980's. I've no idea what the back pool room is used for today, the only time I went in after renovation it didn't seem to exist any more.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:25 pm

Re the Green Dragon Yard. This is the link to a thread in SL that I started on the Green Dragon Yard. http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... eadID=3474

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:33 pm

A word of caution!Anyone thinking of researching Merry Boys bar on Google, do make sure you have the safe search function turned on ha ha

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:36 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: One thing I love about Secret Leeds are the The other day it was the case of the vanishing post box, today it's the smallest stone John Thomas As if to prove the point, here's reference to an enormous John Thomas just where you'd least expect it!http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... ighLight=1

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:38 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: I've always wondered why the Guildford was nicknamed the Merry Boys bar. I've not been in for years, in fact since it was renovated and spoilt as a pub sometime in the 80's. I'm pretty sure it did have, or still could have the ''Merry Boys bar' in stained glass above one of the doors?? Am I correct, or is just failing memory? That sounds familiar to me too. I think it was the main bar to the left of the entrance (which is now blocked off - it has been replaced as the large windows to the left of the Blood Donor Centre entrance), which is essentially the Northern Monkey pub. I can't remember if it was stained glass but there was definitely a "Merry Boys" sign above the door.The rest of the Guildford, has, I presume, been turned into offices. I remember playing pool in a large pool hall straight down the corridor on the ground floor from the main entrance, and I played billiards in the upstairs room directly above the pool hall, accessed from a stairwell with a caged lift going up the middle, to the right of the corridor (in what will now be the Blood Donor Centre). This was around 1979/82 - I got the impression when you were on the first floor that you were in a closed-down hotel, with lots of locked rooms off the corridor. Only the billiard room seemed to be open.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:43 pm

You describe it just as I remember it Tasa, I can't recall the lift you mention though. I used that place around 1984-1987. You could only play pool downstairs at that time, the upstairs, and billiards you mentioned wasn't open. My mate and I would be outside every Saturday evening at 5.20 waiting for it to open. The days of pubs not being open all day seems such a long time ago. You right about the ghost Hotel atmosphere, It was a great pub, although a little worse for wear in those days.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:48 pm

Phill has mentioned "One thing I love about Secret Leeds are the little details, facts, and observations that can lead on from one piece of research to another". Though not directly related to the thread it never ceases to surprise me though just how little I do observe at times. I often pass by the Scotthall BMW salesroom on Sheepscar Street North but is was only very recently that I noticed there were cars on the salesroom roof! The link should bring up a Google satellite view showing cars on the roof:- http://tinyurl.com/6onulxqiewEdit shortly after posting. Ooops that link did not work due to a mistake of mine. This link will hopefully work:- http://tinyurl.com/7buqbveMy face is getting ever redder as that link did not bring up the closer view I expected. Hopefully (fingers crossed) this will work http://tinyurl.com/7vmqwgs

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 10:58 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: You describe it just as I remember it Tasa, I can't recall the lift you mention though. I used that place around 1984-1987. You could only play pool downstairs at that time, the upstairs, and billiards you mentioned wasn't open. My mate and I would be outside every Saturday evening at 5.20 waiting for it to open. The days of pubs not being open all day seems such a long time ago. You right about the ghost Hotel atmosphere, It was a great pub, although a little worse for wear in those days. The first floor would have been closed by the time you were going to the Guildford - the billiard hall was on its last legs in 1982 and there was no bar service on the first floor.When I used to go there, the bar furnishings and general appearance of the pub (main bar) were a match for the Gin Palace style of the Victoria, but unfortunately it was left to go to ruin. It was a real shame.

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Fri 24 Feb, 2012 11:05 pm

I went to a couple of wedding receptions at the Guildford Hotel in the dim and distant.Everyone had their city centre wedding receptions at either the Guildford, the Metropole or The Griffin.