Quarry Hill, 1901, photographs

[grumpytramp]

Apologies if these have been discussed here before, but I was stumbling around the slightly confusing Leeds University digital library having read a few of the recent threads about Godfrey Bingley and happened upon a series of photos taken in and about Quarry Hill recording Leeds Corporation slum clearance programme.These images may exist on Leodis, but certainily not at such high resolution!Some are absolute cracking images. There are 24 images in total and are described as: Quote: Urban locations in the Leeds area of Quarry Hill at the beginning of the 20th Century. The photographs are from an album of cuttings relating to the Leeds Corporation slum clearance scheme. [edit] There is some clever trickery preventing me linking directly to the photos!See thumbnail images at the bottom of this page:http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/view ... .htmlThree images immediately garnered my interest quarry_hill_14.jpg, quarry_hill_22.jpg and quarry_hill_24.jpgThese show what appears to be a backyard workshop of some sort. In image 14 there is a bundle of identical looking wooden staves and what appears to bales of material (possibly wool?) being sheltered under a makeshift roof. There is a large pile of coal and the shovel is left on the wall by the bycycle. In image 22 there appears to be a large vat (possibly steaming which may explain the coal), more bundles stacked by a workshop door (note the tools hanging upto the right of gentleman in the door) and a series of covered barrels. In image 24 taken from an elevated position there are bundles of flat material left to the elements above what could be a boiler?I wonder what went on here?I guess from the material stacked in the open, the sealed barrels, and the large vat that this might be a tannery?    

[vbporscha]

I have nothing to say in terms of your questions but just wanted to say thanks for sharing! I've had a quick look and they are amazing - I'm meant to be doing something important right now so I'm not letting myself look any further until tomorrow! Thanks

[chemimike]

They are wonderful photographs. I notice they all, well all that contain text, are reversed. On two with barrels and some lumpy material , some of which seems to have come out of the barrels ( & ), I wondered if the material could be bone, as on the 1891 OS map there was a bone manure works in York road.In another ( ) there is a railway viaduct running close to the back of the house, giving a narrow yard. I reckon that the only place this could be would be the back of the houses behind Off St

[uncle mick]

I wonder if this photo http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/1303/ with the reversed W Benson on the building is the same William Benson who was a paper manufacturer at "Quarry Hill on the corner of Regent Street" ? Three pubs on that 1891 map I had never heard of before. Wild Man Inn, Barleycorn Inn & Duchess of Kent                

[liits]

James Henry Midwood [b.1878 d1948] was the last tenant of the Barleycorn Inn, a Leeds City Breweries pub. It closed at the end of January 1906, the license being allowed to lapse owing to the imminent demolition of the premises “for the Leeds Corporation Quarry Hill unhealthy area scheme”.The Duchess of Kent lasted until 15th November 1907 when the license was refused under the 1904 Licensing Act. John William Storey received his payment of £5 in compensation for the refusal of his license. John Smith’s, the owners, received £1739 15s. Mr Storey went on to run the Druid’s Head at Wilson Street.The Wild Man [Leeds & Wakefield Breweries] had its license renewed at the 1906 Licensing Session only for it to be revoked on the 15th March [at a later sitting of the Justices]. Martin Tarpey, the last licensee moved a few streets away to the Golden Fleece, High Street and Charles Street; although only briefly as the Golden Fleece closed its door in November 1907. He subsequently moved on to the New Paradise Inn.

[grumpytramp]

uncle mick wrote: I wonder if this photo http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/1303/ with the reversed W Benson on the building is the same William Benson who was a paper manufacturer at "Quarry Hill on the corner of Regent Street" ?         That's a very good shout; I think that you are spot on!The orientation of the various buildings in relation to the building marked Benson appear to tie in with the map. The boiler/vats and the materials stockpiled above the boiler also tally with paper manufacturing.I just love the every day details shown in these pictures such as the block, other apparent lifting equipment and general untidiness of the yard!

[Cardiarms]

A lot of cheap paper in those days was made from rags ("rag and bone"), could that be the bales of stuff?

[Si]

Fantastic photos. Thanks for posting, Grumpytramp.

[uncle mick]

The afore mentioned William Benson was a "felt paper manufacturer". I am assuming that means roofing felt.At the risk of going off topic why in the photo is W Benson reversed. Does this mean the photo of the building is reversed ?Confused

[grumpytramp]

uncle mick wrote: At the risk of going off topic why in the photo is W Benson reversed. Does this mean the photo of the building is reversed ? The photo has been scanned probably from a glass plate image, the wrong way round. If you download, use a photo-editor and horizonat flip the image you will see the image as photographed