SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I think that there must be a clue in whatever is just beyond the houses. I referred to a fence/gate but looking at it a bit more carefully, it looks like a commercial - as opposed to domestic - gate. There's some sort of open structure with what looks like a corrugated roof, and there are several concrete fence posts of the type used with chain-link fencing and angled at the top where they usually have three strands of barbed wire. Unless it's an optical illusion, they are not part of a fence but stacked up together. Perhaps it's some sort of depot.

I think it could be Kippax because the compound looks like a gas governor station I used work on occasionally,can’t remember the street name but it’s near the swimming baths

Helena Street

Carr wrote:Helena Street

Looks like hole in one.


The lintels over the doors are the same.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.76353 ... 312!8i6656

Close but no cigar IMHO.

Apart from the gate now at a different angle,different site for the gas station plus a massive tree growth spurt in the distant background and new houses where some of the older houses must have stood originally, also where does the old small property shown at this part of the street fit in to the original picture?

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.76432 ... 312!8i6656

You would have to see it in the original photo regardless of angles/zoom etc and regardless of scale,where it was took etc, the resemblance isn't even close apart from what I would assume to be commonly used lintels ,again just my opinion.

Taken from this distance the background is miniscule, the land topography looks wrong and you are still up against the small property being in shot. move away any further to hide this property and the background is a 1000 miles away figuratively speaking.

You could say that the shot was taken beyond this property which would mean squeezing a street length into too few yards and as there are only new houses there,now, no comparison can be made.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.76443 ... 312!8i6656

I’m 99% sure it’s Helena Street. Where the new houses are at the top left was rough ground plus they have been built higher up into the field. The newer houses on the right were built on what was possibly a builders yard,you can see the gap in the old photo I remember flat back lorries parked there. The retaining wall top right is in exactly the right place as well plus above it are what I’m sure are barrel filters (old photo) underneath a corrugated roof.
I’ve also just seen in the top left old picture a wire coming from the electrical pylon what is still there

Carr wrote:I’m 99% sure it’s Helena Street. Where the new houses are at the top left was rough ground plus they have been built higher up into the field. The newer houses on the right were built on what was possibly a builders yard,you can see the gap in the old photo I remember flat back lorries parked there. The retaining wall top right is in exactly the right place as well plus above it are what I’m sure are barrel filters (old photo) underneath a corrugated roof.
I’ve also just seen in the top left old picture a wire coming from the electrical pylon what is still there

Even the darker coloured bricks on the gable end match. Definitely the same place. Well done Carr. FYI the wood at the top of the hill is known locally as Billy woods.

Definitely Helena Street, Kippax. Every aspect matches, roof line steps up every two houses, the lower window sill brick supports painted white on second house, block of ten then block of five, original kerbs still in place, you can see lower window alterations on several properties, lintels, brick colourations and that's just the street. The field in the background now has a hedge where the fence can be seen, all the other features of this hill match exactly.

I think the depth of field used when taking these photos pulls everything in and makes things look much closer, I have been confused in the past due to this.

I think a cigar should be on it's way to Mr Carr, well done.

Then perhaps someone could discuss the couple of points I raised rather than just ignoring them or how you can say something matches when half the street has been demolished and if the old houses shown are where the new ones are now then there's nothing to compare to re rooflines etc and if the photo was taken further back down the street then that small property I mention would be evident.

Better still if carr could show us on Google street where he/she thinks this picture was taken then that would answer the concerns I have with the picture.

No flame war intended by the way just that previous what/where's tended to need more than a I'm sure it's here to put it to bed.

The view on google street is restricted and it would be better for me to get a picture myself. The newish houses on the top right were built on a rough piece of land that was possibly a builders yard (NEGAS) and from the old photo it’s impossible to see the correct width. Looking at the retaining wall top right from both picks you can see that there is room for new house to be built. Another point as was mentioned by Tomq is the corners in both pictures have the same matching pattern of bricks.