THE LAST OF LEEDS CITY CENTRE

The main shopping street in Leeds is Briggate, now pedestrianised, but once the hub of the tram network. In earlier times, horse-drawn, steam powered and electric trams would have been seen.

 

Briggate in 1908, decorated for the visit of the King.

The Picture House on Briggate.

One of several arcades off Briggate, this one, seen around 1900, called the County Arcade.

Down an alleyway from Briggate, the Ship.

Also down an alley, the famous Whtelocks.

At the top end of Briggate is St John's church.

Close by is a former Tetley pub, Wrens.

Another ex Tetley house, though originally Melbourne Ales, is the Templar, a fine boozer indeed.

Taking heavy traffic through the city centre is The Headrow, seen here in a postcard view.

The Headrow can be a good spot to photograph buses. Black Prince ran several services along here.

Short-lived operators using The Headrow included Bigfoot Buses, Quickstep and Optional Bus.

Firstbus ran these Wright artics along The Headrow, on a Leeds to Bradford service.

The West Yorkshire Road Car Company had its own bus station, just off The Headrow, at Vicar Lane.

A well known pub on The Headrow was Mr Foley's, later called Baroque. Sadly, it's now closed.

Leeds town hall stands proud atop The Headrow.

Close by, the Town Hall Tavern, a good outlet for Timothy Taylor's beers.

There's also the Horse & Trumpet.

Around the back of the Town Hall, the Victoria. It's due to re-open soon.

Veritas was a good free house. It's now a Chinese restaurant.

Here's a postcard view of the Polytechnic and the Civic Hall in central Leeds.

Finally, a quick look at the city centre's three Wetherspoons; the Beckett's Bank, the Hedley Verity and the Stick or Twist.

Next time, we'll enter the northern suburbs of Leeds and we'll find Roundhay Park.

THE NOT SO CENTRAL BUS STATION

 The Central Bus Station in Leeds is actually on the periphery of the city centre, though it's very handy for the extensive markets. Leeds City Transport served the bus station until 1974.

Leeds City Transport was taken over by West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, who contiinued the minibus service around the city centre. No. 34, seen here, is still in Leeds CT colours.

West Yorkshire PTE provided a good selection of vehicles into the 1980s.

A name change brought Yorkshire Rider into being.

Leyland Olympian 5035 was painted into an old Leeds Tramways livery.

Another large operator to use Leeds bus station was West Riding. A vehicle shortage brought this Bristol MW into the fleet.

West Riding Leyland Panther 231 in the bus station.

Operating out of Leeds in the same direction as West Riding was South Yorkshire Road Transport of Pontefract.

Other major companies to use Leeds bus station included Yokshire Woollen District and Yorkshire Traction.

More recent incumbents included Keighley & District and Yorkshire Coastliner, both now part of the Transdev Group.

For a short time, Lancaster City Transport reached Leeds!

Potteries Motor Transport started services in Leeds, as seen in 1988, though they didn't last long.

Independent operators included Black Prince, Pride of The Road, Rhodes of Yeadon and Amberley Coaches.

Many of the services of Leeds City Transport ran past the bus station.

Another small operator, Four Seasons, also by-passed the bus station.

The Central Bus Station has since been rebuilt to a high standard and is served by the major operators of today.

If you want to know more about  transport in Leeds, may I suggest my book by Amberley Publishing.

We now move away from buses for a while, as we find a horse-drawn dray passing the Central Bus Station with some Tetleys for a nearby boozer.

Over the road is Quarry House, seen in 2002.

Earlier, I mentioned Leeds Market. There's an open-air section, but the "New" Market is covered.

Obviously, New Market Street is just outside. Trams once ran along it.

Just around the corner is the Corn Exchange, seen here from Duncan Street.

The interior of the Corn Exchange in 2019.

Inside the Corn Exchange was the Little Leeds Beerhouse, with a selection of Belgian beers. It's now closed, but it's now operating out of Brownhill & Co. (see below).

Outside the Corn Exchange is a good vantage point to photograph more of the bus scene in Leeds. Here are some examples, from Arrive, Black Prince and Firstbus.

So, after looking at far too many buses, it's time for a pint, at the aformentioned Brownhill & Co. It's a modern bar that has some cask beer and an interesting bottle selection.

That's it for this post. Next time, several more pubs and the final part of Leeds city centre.