SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

hi everyone, im new and was just wondering if the derelict 'shop' in the merrion centre was an old pub at one point.its the shop down the path opposite the entrance to the merrion market. its behind morrisons and near to the new music shop.ive always wonderd if it was as some of the glass looks like it was designed for a pub at one time.sorry if this has been covered before.if anyone could shed light i would appreciate it.thanks, iain.

If it's the place I'm thinking of, it was Chaplins (and for a short time afer that, the Tap & Spile). Good little drinking hole in its day.

I Remember that pub as the Pig and Whistle

Loinerpete - The Pig and Whistle is now what is the Fab Cafe. It's the other side of the Merrion Centre I think we're talking about. By the newsagents at the entrance to the Merrion Market.

It is not entirely clear as to where the OP is referring. I think the music shop is on the corner opening of the merrion centre opposite Yorkshire Bank and Stick and Twist. Inside the Merrion Centre almost immediately to the right is the now almost totally deserted Georgian Arcade which stretches under Merrion House. The 2nd or 3rd unit down that Arcade on the right was Chaplins and then the Tap and Spile (although more than briefly from my memory). If you didn't go inside the Merrion Centre but headed towards the Merrion House entrance along the road there was a back entrance which was used by the Tap and Spile but I can't remember if it was used as a public entrance when it was Chaplins. If you continued on to the front entrance of Merrion House where the Georgian arcade ends (and you can see into the back of Morrisons) and then go down the steps the Pig and Whistle was on your left (under the (west?) wing of Merrion House). The Pig and Whistle was closed for several years and is now Fab Café, although I think it briefly reopened as something else before becoming Fab Cafe

if you enter through the entrance near the row of shops opposite stick or twist you turn right past the mobility shop and its the old looking derelict pub down thereif you come up the main entrance up the steps/slope near the side entrance to edwards bar then continue up towards the cash machines (where the old cinema entrance was) and continue up past playtime (games shop) and ainsleys then turn left (opposite the merrion market entrance) and continue down and its a couple of the shops down (if you kept on going down this path it comes to another entrance which i think is the entrance to the merrion house offices)

you are definitely talking about the Tap and Spile previously Chaplins. I was a regular while it was the T&S and they didn't want to close but could not renew their lease. A bit short sighted by the property owners now as they have had no income from it nor most of the rest of the Georgian arcade for 10+ years. It was rumoured that part of the Merrion was going to be redeveloped into a leisure area but I have never seen anything concrete

thanks for letting me know, i used to walk past it on my way home from notre dame college with friends and always wonderd if it was an old pub, just by looking at the window frames and the sort of rippled/bubbled glass and now i know, thank you.

The rumour I heard many years back was that Morrison's was going to expand into this area, hence why they let all the leases expire.

That would have made sense. What hasn't (made sense) is that they haven't even utilised many short-term leases for the units along there.