Pub off Central Road .

[Leodian]

Regarding the Dolphin this SL thread 'The Dolphin Vicar Lane' has info on the Dolphin and the Empire Arcade:- http://secretleeds.com/viewtopic.php?t=3419

[j.c.d.]

Regarding the Dolphin this SL thread 'The Dolphin Vicar Lane' has info on the Dolphin and the Empire Arcade:- http://secretleeds.com/viewtopic.php?t=3419

Thank you for that Leodian, after toast and banana I shall have a good shufti at all that. Thanks again.

[j.c.d.]

As we touched on the Empire Arcade I thought I would recount the time 1950 when I had just left school and worked in Spaldings, an American sports outfitters on King Edward Street, the shop was next to one of the Empire Theatre exits (now a Harvey Nicks window and on the other side was Woods a firm selling tools. My boss used to have me mopping the floors, a job which I hated and I was in the basement filling the mop, bucket annoyed that it was not filling quickly enough I spun the tap which came away in my hand, a fierce jet of water shot up to the ceiling and not only was I getting wet but water was every where. I put the tap back on but somehow cross threaded it. Panicking because of all the water everywhere I remembered what old George the Empire maintenance and odd job man had shown me. Outside of our basement was the passage that led from the Empire to the Cross Arcade, this not only was for the bin men or any tradesmen wanting access to the shops on King Edward / Queen Victoria but it let the performers or artistes appearing at the Theatre away out rather than the front entrance on Briggate. Anyway George showed me a tap which was set in the floor under a square stone in this passage. "Be careful it you use it as it cuts off the water for the Empire and both streets down to Cross Arcade" As i could see water coming out of the tap halfway up i foolishly went out and turned off this stopcock. Left it until the Boss noticed the water was off and he called a plumber. afer a while i was called downstairs and the plumber asked "Have you had this tap off ?" the die was cast so i told him no. he walked over and picked up a rubber washer off of the floor muttering to my Boss "Bloody little liar". there was no way back now for me, someone came from the shop next door asking for water to make tea.and when i went for a lunchtime walk the area was in uproar. Old George had told me that very few folks knew about this special tap though i was hoping someone else would know about it.
My Boss Mr. Wilson who was 'orrible to me at the best of times kept eying me up and glaring but i was too

scared to come clean. What i did was the following day as soon as i could i went and turned it on and to this day 65 years on it seems like yesterday,

I had lots of adventures working there, some good others not so good but non to compare with that one.