Torre Road Flyover

Railways, trams, buses, etc.
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magic
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Post by magic »

Hi, on my way home from work i drive down Ivy Street in the East End Park area & onto the round about under York Road. I have often wondered what this area looked like before the flyover was buit as the houses & shops look very high up compared to the ground level. I am guessing due to this there must of been heavy excavating?? Can anybody recall what this area looked like before the flyover?Thanks.

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tyke bhoy
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Post by tyke bhoy »

http://www.leodis.org/searchResults.asp ... PUBID=0I'm taking it that Carlton Terrace is pretty much where the slip road is on to the Leeds bound A64. I think it also proves your view on excavating as the A64 Road level doesn't seem to be much higher on the overpass than before it was built. Presumably though the ground level did fall away on the Torre Road side as everything there http://goo.gl/maps/Cmb5T , although newer, does seem to be at or below the underpass level.
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magic
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Post by magic »

tyke bhoy wrote: http://www.leodis.org/searchResults.asp ... PUBID=0I'm taking it that Carlton Terrace is pretty much where the slip road is on to the Leeds bound A64. I think it also proves your view on excavating as the A64 Road level doesn't seem to be much higher on the overpass than before it was built. Presumably though the ground level did fall away on the Torre Road side as everything there http://goo.gl/maps/Cmb5T , although newer, does seem to be at or below the underpass level. Thanks Tyke Bhoy, yeah thats what i cant understand where the Ford Showroom is was previously Torre Road bus depot & its well below the level of York Road??

York Road Lad
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Post by York Road Lad »

magic wrote: Hi, on my way home from work i drive down Ivy Street in the East End Park area & onto the round about under York Road. I have often wondered what this area looked like before the flyover was buit as the houses & shops look very high up compared to the ground level. I am guessing due to this there must of been heavy excavating?? Can anybody recall what this area looked like before the flyover?Thanks. This is my 'stomping ground' - and I remember it well! (I don't remember 'Carlton Terrace, though - perhaps before my time!) Prior to the flyover, York Road was already a dual carriageway - and was at the level of Ivy Street and the shopping parade. The central reservation was where the trams had run up to 1959 but, from memory, there wasn't a grassed central reservation until you got east of Lupton Avenue. I vaguely remember a few shops on the north side of York Road in front of the Glenthorpes/Walfords, but these were demolished in the early 1960's. There was a wide tract of open land on the south side of York Road in front of the bus/tram depot and I remember being told as a child that this had originally been part of a farm/smallholding (relatives told me the name - but I can't remember), and it had been standing empty for over 30 years due to planned road widening. Past Lupton Avenue, there was a wide triangle of grassed land with small trees and a wide pavement facing the Co-op. John Walsh, the local newspaperman, had his stall there from the 1930's until the roadworks - when he moved to the front of the 'Eagle'. John Walsh was a real character who began delivering papers in the Quarry Hill area at 8 years old and continued with his stall until he was 88! He delivered around the Torres in the morning and evening - and was on his stall at other times. People used to pass his stall on their way to use the zebra crossing in front of the Co-op. There were two bus stops for buses to town - one either side of the Co-op. This meant that, depending on which bus came, people had a mad dash from one stop to the other to catch a bus into town. On the north side of York Road, there was the bus garage on the site of Benfields with the Eagle pub (officially 'The New Eagle' - but no-one called it that), on the other side of Torre Road. Stokes & Daltons was on the site of the probation office and Sumries' factory was on the site of B & M/Iceland. The south side of York Road changed very little physically, but changed enormously in character. As far as I can remember, just one building was demolished on that side of the road - a medium sized supermarket called 'Byrite' - which was on the east side of Ivy street at the York Road junction. In the days before large supermarkets, the Byrite was a major draw for the York Road shopping area - which was busy and thriving. I'm afraid the road changes killed it off. And yes, major excavations took place to create the Ivy Street junction. The road was at the level of the houses and buildings. The other thing that I particularly remember was an old style bakers/confectioners that was away from the rest of the shopping area immediately to the east of the Co-op - and was a favourite of my mam's. It had a unique (and pleasant) smell inside. This closed before the road changes and became an unsuccessful antique shop (this is not the cotswolds!) It has been closed for about 40 years - but is still visibly an ex-shop. I would be happy to share any more York Road memories...
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

York Road Lad
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Joined: Tue 03 Aug, 2010 7:37 pm

Post by York Road Lad »

I've had a look at the photos now! I know the row of shops referred to as 'Carlton Terrace' very well - but I've never heard it called that - it certainly isn't now. Brown's Pawn Shop is now East End Wines and Ivy Mount Post Office is on the same row. The shop shown as Slater's and Victoria Furniture Rooms later became the Byrite - I think it was extended when it became a supermarket, but was demolished for the road alterations. In fact, as I said in my previous post, I think it had the distinction of being the only building demolished for the road alterations, as the area on the other side of York Road was already vacant - having being kept so for many years in anticipation of the works. Revell's butcher's shop is still there - but was empty the last time I looked - and it hasn't been a butcher's for many years. Revell's had another shop further up York Road - at the junction with Osmondthorpe Lane on the opposite side to Dyron's. Most recently that shop was a 'No win no fee' claims office, but is currently empty.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Shinny
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Re:

Post by Shinny »

What a gem, thanks for the pics. i always love finding old pics like this. Makes me feel like I'm looking back through a window in time.
Last edited by Shinny on Wed 06 Dec, 2023 9:53 pm, edited 3 times in total.

volvojack
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Re: Torre Road Flyover

Post by volvojack »

From memory York Road was pretty level from the Shaftesbury Cinema right along to approx. the end of the "Vinerys" parade of shops.
The shops were always thriving but after the Flyover was built and i suppose with shopping habits changing they went into decline and never recovered. Recently visiting Leeds i was driving up York Road and thought how shabby that area had become. Even more so was the parade of shops from the Old Coop building up the the White Horse Pub, also looking worse for wear. I think there was only one that seemed to be still trading.

volvojack
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Re: Torre Road Flyover

Post by volvojack »

That also reminds that some friends of mine lived in Dawlish Avenue behind that Parade of shops and the property was Compulsory Purchased for Slum Clearance / Development about 1967 and along with the money they were also given a Council house to rent. Now 50 years later the houses in that street are still standing and being advertised to rent.
They are being advertised to rent monthly at about much the same price my Pal received in compensation

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