SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

After meeting Tasa (Christine) yesterday to hopefully get a look from the record shop overlooking the skull building. We found out the record shop didn't open until 10. So we went for a nice bacon sarnie and cuppa while it opened. Thanks to Christine she told me a quirky tale about Leeds I didn't know myself. The grave of Pablo fanque can be found in Woodhouse cemetery. For all you Beatles fans you may remember that Pablo Fanque had the travelling circus that Lennon wrote the song 'being for the benefit of Mr Kite' from one of the posters of the day. I never knew he was buried in Leeds and find this connection with the Beatles fascinating. I've included a picture of the grave with the famous poster underneath and the story about the whole affair here. If you don't know the song (shame on you) you can hear it there too!Cheers Tasa http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/2498822207/            

I didn't know that, either.    

Excellent bit of Beatles trivia, Phill! (and Tasa!)

i didn't even know he was a real person! i wonder if the coffin was shot through a hogs head of real fire?

Apparently Pablo Fanque was the Britains first black circus owner and quite famous in his day.Lots of info on him on the web which is quite interesting reading.

I just noticed this article in last weeks Evening Post dated the 23rd of May. 5 days after this post went up-what a coincidence I wonder were they got the story from eh Tasa?     

Click the picture twice to enlarge .

Phill_d wrote: I just noticed this article in last weeks Evening Post dated the 23rd of May. 5 days after this post went up-what a coincidence I wonder were they got the story from eh Tasa?      Phill - did you notice that the journo says that Pablo Fanque was drawn to his attention by his friend "Pid?"There used to be a Pid who posted on here. Think he got banned...

Yeah I noticed Si. Pid seemed a decent lad and was all right to me. I just think the journos are a little cheap skate really. There's nothing wrong with a mention of the source. I gave credit to Tasa for telling me. It's what we in England call 'playing cricket old chap If they'd have asked they could have even used some pictures.            

In John Mayhall's 'Annals of Yorkshire' Vol III, for May 7 1871 starting on page 386 and ending on page 387 it states:-"Mr. Pablo Fanque, the well-known circus manager and proprietor, who died at Stockport, was buried in Leeds, in Woodhouse Cemetery. Deceased was a coloured man. He made several successful tours through all parts of the globe, and had been frequently in Leeds. He was buried beside the remains of his first wife, and the procession to the cemetery started from King Charles's Croft, the site of the accident - the fall of the pit of a circus - through which, on the 18th March, 1848, his wife lost her life. [See "Annals," vol I, page 555.]"