A very old Establishment down the Skulls head yard (Part 1)

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

Move over Indiana Jones ha ha During a visit to town this week finding myself with an hour to kill, I thought i'd try my luck at having a look down the yard behind the old Crown & fleece that also leads to the back of the first White Cloth hall.The yard is now gated off with no access to Joe public, so I had a look through the window of the shop to gauge the reaction of the girl behind the food counter if I went in and said 'Hi. you don't know me but i'm phill.d of the L.H.E.S, investigator of all things strange and curious. I wonder if I can have a nosey around your back passage please' After I presented my card & explained the building used to be a pub called the Crown & Fleece which was reputedly haunted by the ghosts of 2 army recruits who suffocated in the hay loft, and there used to be 2 skulls carved on the wall marking the occasion. The girl thinking I was quite mad very nicely opened up the gate into the skulls head yard for me.        
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

There is some debate about what the Crown sign is. Some same it was from the Crown fisheries it used to be and some say it is advertising Crown wallpaper from when it was a decorators shop.
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

This is the normally locked gate leading down the yard, The Crown & Fleece is on the right and can be examined as you walk by easy enough. There is no trace of any signs were the carved skulls used to be here. In the book Haunted Leeds it has a picture of the skulls and says there were past the gate & had been removed years ago, seemingly no one knows what happened to them.        
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

Any trace were the skulls were would have been covered over by the cement rendering perhaps?
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

Is that my eyes playing tricks of does the area marked in blue look like the remains of a face in the cement render? click the picture to view it large. I can't tell.    
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

This is the next building down and no trace of the skulls.Away from the hustle and bustle we step back in time to how it was 150years ago.
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

I love to get away from the pedestrian areas of Leeds. Briggate and Lands lane and look down the old yards & alleys. Leeds is famous for them, even Morrisey of the Smiths fame sang about them in the song 'Panic'This is the end of the alley with no sign of were the skulls were on any of the buildings, around the corner is the rear of the White Cloth hall.    
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

Believe it or not this is actually one of Leeds most historically important buildings!It was opened in 1711 as the first White Cloth hall, and was built as a direct response to the building of a covered cloth hall by the merchants of Wakefield to try entice traders away from Leeds.The building has been allowed to stand derelict and supported by scaffolding for as long as I can remember. Despite it been a grade 2 listed building, It has now been condemned by the structural engineers and faces demolition.
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

Kirkgate one of the oldest streets in Leeds. Further down here in Leeds gory past It used to be called Gallowgate for very good reason. I say bring back public flogging myself lol     
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Phill_d
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Post by Phill_d »

Poor shot taking over the top of the hoarding along the alleyway to the gated entrance that leads to the skulls head yard. I like the look of the blue advertising hoardings in the bottom of the picture. Who knows what delights they were selling from what bygone era?Two-thirds of the most important historic building in Leeds is to be demolished. Despite its tremendous importance the first White Cloth Hall in Kirkgate has stood growing increasingly derelict for many years surrounded by scaffolding and hoardings. The Las Vegas Amusement Arcade in its eastern wing still operates but the rest of the building is getting close to state of collapse and is a health and safety hazard. It is two buildings separated by a courtyard, had fallen into such disrepair an engineer's report declared it dangerous. Archaeological examinations found owners throughout the centuries had tampered with the structure, leaving very little of the original fabric in salvageable condition.    
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