SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Just flicking through the Leeds International Film Festival brochure & I think I have discovered what might be THE PERFECT FILM for our readers. This is the bumph...Sunday 11th November.Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness.Cinema Versa, Special Preview.Dir. Melody Gilbert, USA, 2007, 85ms.The Carriageworks Theatre, 8.30pm. Also showing 14th November, 4pm & 18 November 6.15pm.A ground-breaking documentary revealing a subculture of committed underground voyagers, not content to let old buildings rot, instead breathing new life into their labyrinthine tunnesl & rooftops & celebrating the mystery, history & excitement lying dormant in our derelict or 'out of bounds' urban architecture. These adventure seekers delve into so-called 'inaccessible' places, risking arrest & challenging authoritarian policies of urban order which dictate where we can & cannot venture, & limit our freedom to roam.The Box Office number is 0113 2243801.For full details of the Film Festival programme, see http://www.leedsfilm.com

OOH... Don't know how they dare Nice find munki!

munki wrote: Just flicking through the Leeds International Film Festival brochure & I think I have discovered what might be THE PERFECT FILM for our readers. This is the bumph...Sunday 11th November.Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness.Cinema Versa, Special Preview.Dir. Melody Gilbert, USA, 2007, 85ms.The Carriageworks Theatre, 8.30pm. Also showing 14th November, 4pm & 18 November 6.15pm.A ground-breaking documentary revealing a subculture of committed underground voyagers, not content to let old buildings rot, instead breathing new life into their labyrinthine tunnesl & rooftops & celebrating the mystery, history & excitement lying dormant in our derelict or 'out of bounds' urban architecture. These adventure seekers delve into so-called 'inaccessible' places, risking arrest & challenging authoritarian policies of urban order which dictate where we can & cannot venture, & limit our freedom to roam.The Box Office number is 0113 2243801.For full details of the Film Festival programme, see http://www.leedsfilm.com Isn't the language of the " chattering classes " fascinating . It must be " Fuller's Earth " they live on , it isn't the one I see around me .

I've found this site with clips from the urbex film above, news stories about it, Pretty interesting stuff!http://www.myspace.com/urbanexplorers

Phil_d have you seen the tossers on Skyscaper that want to tear down our old buildings in Leeds (namely Aire house on Swinegate0 because they are not "Architecturally"important?

I occasionally have a look on there csnosi but not very often because as you would expect with the name skyscraper forums is all about going high! They basically wanna flatten everything under 20 stories and bang up these new Lumiere things. Leeds wouldn't be good old Leeds if it had a New York skyline would it?

It's already heading that way Phill, I have a video, actually converted from 8mm cine film (ouch! - age showing again) I took from a train as it arrived in Central Station.A section of it shows the perfectly level skyline to the north with just upward projection from it, the very tall Town Hall Dome and clock - brings the changes we have sharply into perspective.Lumiere on Wellingto Street is next isn't it, followed by a proposal for some strange 'architecturally pleasing' monster on the site of Poulson's pool which as we know, closes tomorrow.

chameleon wrote: It's already heading that way Phill, I have a video, actually converted from 8mm cine film (ouch! - age showing again) I took from a train as it arrived in Central Station.A section of it shows the perfectly level skyline to the north with just upward projection from it, the very tall Town Hall Dome and clock - brings the changes we have sharply into perspective.Lumiere on Wellingto Street is next isn't it, followed by a proposal for some strange 'architecturally pleasing' monster on the site of Poulson's pool which as we know, closes tomorrow. In my view the Victorian and Edwardian architecture seen in the Town Hall , Market Buildings , the south side of Boar Lane and York Road baths are the personification of Leeds ; if I close my eyes and think of Leeds it is buildings like those [ and trams ] that come to my mind .I don't object to skyscrapers as such , but I hope that when built they will all have the grandeur and staying-power of the buildings erected around a century ago by people who were proud of their city and deeply involved in its activities .

Quite so roundhegian - I remember a teacher in Junior school once saying we should walk round town looking upwards and we would see an entirely differnt place. How true, even today and as you say, so many of those buildings still prevail. At the same time I can't help but notice buildings constructed in my lifetime as part of the 'modern era' are already being demolished (or crumbling) to make way for the new, new environment.I do have a distant tie with some of the older heritage, my Leeds ancestors were a family of stone masons who played a small part in forming some of these older buildings, the old Royal Exchange House for one and, I'm told, the Town Hall lions.

Having not much to explore this weekend i felt inspired by the urbex film clips above & had a go at knocking one up for ourselves, I used some footage we've not used before on this one with plenty of still pics. If deserted mansions at night are your thing then look herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFZcIU1n8R8