Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
User avatar
Leodian
Posts: 6478
Joined: Thu 10 Jun, 2010 8:03 am

Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by Leodian »

It is many years since I was last on Kirkstall Road (probably much longer than I think!) so I had a walk on January 31 2018 from its start from Wellington Street to the Cardigan Arms inn area. Though I don't recall the area that well I do recall there used to be lots of industrial works and other buildings. Something obvious was that many of the industrial and other sites have been demolished and now only large areas of cleared ground remain (apart from what remains of the fronts of some buildings). Though I feel sure I must have been there since they closed I recall the swimming bath (never living in the area I never used that) and an RSPCA building and a bus depot, though sadly other than their being there I don't recall the industrial sites actually working. The area shows well just how much of the industry in Leeds has gone.

Bright sunshine (with some very brief hail showers) made it very hard to take photos. I have added one of a close-up of a door that has 'Established 1854' over it and a location view of the frontage remains of that site on Kirkstalll Road. I wonder if anyone knows what that site was? A bit further along the road there were two of what seemed to be 'YCL' letters on a frontage so I wonder what YCL was? An old tannery has been renovated well and is now a business centre.
Established1854AtDoorAtRemainsOfIndustrySiteKirkstallRoadLeedsJan312018..jpg
Established1854AtDoorAtRemainsOfIndustrySiteKirkstallRoadLeedsJan312018..jpg (100.22 KiB) Viewed 3720 times
LocationOfIndustrySiteEstablished1854KirkstallRoadJan312018..jpg
LocationOfIndustrySiteEstablished1854KirkstallRoadJan312018..jpg (87.51 KiB) Viewed 3720 times
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.

User avatar
tilly
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon 11 Jan, 2010 2:32 pm

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by tilly »

Hi Leodian the Y.C.L was the Yorkshire Chemicals Limited.I dont know what the doorway was I think the Y.C.L moved to Blackbull Street i know they had a works there but it could have been there at the same time has the Kirkstall Road works
No matter were i end my days im an Hunslet lad with Hunslet ways.

User avatar
buffaloskinner
Posts: 1435
Joined: Sun 01 Apr, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Nova Scotia

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by buffaloskinner »

Is this the end of the story ...or the beginning of a legend?

User avatar
Leodian
Posts: 6478
Joined: Thu 10 Jun, 2010 8:03 am

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by Leodian »

Thanks tilly and buffaloskinner for your help :).

The 1906 revised map brought up through buffaloskinner's link shows well the extensive areas covered then by the many works by Kirkstall Road of which most of their areas now seem to be 'levelled ground' presumably awaiting future development. I've now had a look at the 'Old Maps UK' website and found that works sites were still marked there in an 1989/1996 map so those that have been demolished must have been done so since then.
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.

volvojack
Posts: 1471
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 11:57 am

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by volvojack »

Though i never lived in that area i did know it reasonably well and leaving Leeds heading along Kirkstall Road it seemed that the majority of Small Businesses and Commercial Properties were on the Left hand side. Before the Snooker Centre and the Y.T.V. Studios were opened i don't recall many Businesses on that side. What i do remember are the many, many Streets of Houses , Back on Kirkstall Road there was the "Morning Star, The Rising Sun, The Cardigan Arms " with rows of Houses behind them up to Burley Road. From the Traffic Lights at the Shell Garage there were same again, Dozens and Dozens of Houses all the way along to the Haddons and even then some more to the "George The Fourth" Pub. Again i don't remember any houses on the Left. there may have been a few but even on Commercial Road I can't remember any.

(I can't seem access to get a Street 1960s Map of the Area )

User avatar
mhoulden
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri 27 Nov, 2009 8:00 pm
Location: Wortley
Contact:

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by mhoulden »

Yorkshire Chemicals was vacant and demolished by 2006. The red brick buildings with the Pack and Send billboard on the end were part of the site. I think they were offices. A bit further along SFS Intec has a modern looking factory but its predecessors have been there for a long time. According to https://www.sfsintec.biz/mo/uk/en/web/a ... story.html it started in 1891 as the British Screw Company. The other side of Kirkstall Road was where the Alphabet streets were. There's a 25 inch map of the area from 1933 at http://maps.nls.uk//view/125642407. The Alphabets were razed and buried under a few inches of earth as part of slum clearances around WWII. You can get an idea of how little earth from Google Streetview. This was taken in May 2011 during the road widening works and you can see old red bricks from them. A month or two before they still had pavements and drains visible.

volvojack
Posts: 1471
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 11:57 am

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by volvojack »

Long before the Flyover and T.G.I. Fridays were built just a little bit further on Kirkstall Road there was an Engineering Works and Foundry "Fairbourn Lawsons." Don't remember when it closed or was demolished but i remember i had a Flat tyre whilst passing by there sometime in the 1960s and as i was getting out the spare wheel a group of the Workers who were sat outside gave me a hand to change it.

User avatar
tilly
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon 11 Jan, 2010 2:32 pm

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by tilly »

When i was a lad there was a factory at the junction of Dewsbury Road and Jack Lane this was Fairbourn Lawson Combe and Barber this must have been the same company.
Last edited by tilly on Sun 04 Feb, 2018 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
No matter were i end my days im an Hunslet lad with Hunslet ways.

User avatar
buffaloskinner
Posts: 1435
Joined: Sun 01 Apr, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Nova Scotia

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by buffaloskinner »

:!:

Rising Sun & Kirkstall Viaduct

https://www.flickr.com/photos/75850763@N03/13433159793

Kirkstall Baths on the left just before the Viaduct

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thanoz/37 ... sZv-vsZMpj

Fairbairn Lawson
Attachments
Fairbairn Lawson.jpg
Fairbairn Lawson.jpg (191.32 KiB) Viewed 3593 times
Is this the end of the story ...or the beginning of a legend?

User avatar
buffaloskinner
Posts: 1435
Joined: Sun 01 Apr, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Nova Scotia

Re: Few remains of once lots of industry on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Post by buffaloskinner »

tilly wrote:When i was a lad there was a factory at the junction of Dewsbury Road and Jack Lane this was Fairbourn Lawson Comb and Barber this must have been the same company.
It was Tilly

The firm can be traced back to Lawson's Hope Foundry (1812) and Fairbairn's Wellington Foundry (1828) before becoming Fairbairn Lawson Combe Barbour in 1900.
Is this the end of the story ...or the beginning of a legend?

Post Reply