SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I took this photo on August 28 2014 in LS1. It shows a vicious looking presumably security bar that is metal and looks old. Where was the photo taken? I searched SL as far as I reasonably could and the object does not seem to have been used before as a W&W. If you know the answer please do cryptic clues for now. I wanted to get all the bar in and also the feature below, but that meant some of the inside of the building is seen so no cheating to see if that has any clue (I don't know if it has but it may be recognisable to anyone that has been in). The bricked-in area at street level just below the window intrigues me as to what it might once have been used for.

I'm not sure where this could be, somewhere down by the town hall perhaps. I'm surprised in these days of health and safety madness that such a thing is even legal. Imagine tripping up and falling face first into it... Ouch!

jonleeds wrote: I'm not sure where this could be, somewhere down by the town hall perhaps. I'm surprised in these days of health and safety madness that such a thing is even legal. Imagine tripping up and falling face first into it... Ouch! Hi jon.Your "Ouch!" made me . No its not the Town Hall, but I can see why it could seem so.

jonleeds wrote: I'm not sure where this could be, somewhere down by the town hall perhaps. I'm surprised in these days of health and safety madness that such a thing is even legal. Imagine tripping up and falling face first into it... Ouch! It's part of a fairly newish urban planning movement designed to stop people using certain areas, probably in this case to stop people sitting on the window ledge.The Guardian did a good article on so-called "hostile architecture" here:http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign ... chitecture

davedeath wrote: jonleeds wrote: I'm not sure where this could be, somewhere down by the town hall perhaps. I'm surprised in these days of health and safety madness that such a thing is even legal. Imagine tripping up and falling face first into it... Ouch! It's part of a fairly newish urban planning movement designed to stop people using certain areas, probably in this case to stop people sitting on the window ledge.The Guardian did a good article on so-called "hostile architecture" here:http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign ... chitecture Hi davedeath .Interesting theory but unlikely to be the case here as the item seems clearly to not be recent, though how old I don't know. I want to have a check at the site before I post some more, possibly tomorrow.

Hoping to get photos of the metal bar and the building it is at I went today while I was in the centre of Leeds. Unfortunately there were wheelie bins in the way! That has been the case several times before since I first became aware of the metal bar. Other times there has been scaffolding in the way, or too many passing pedestrians and even once recently when a man was standing by the window so I went away and came back about 15 minutes later and he was still there! It can be really hard sometimes to get a photo! The photo of the bar that I used in my first post was the only one that I took. I should have taken more at the time but I was in a bit of a rush so took what I did when I surprisingly came across the chance to take any!As for where the metal bar is I'm surprised that nobody has yet at least given a cryptic clue. I would have bet on its location being known.    

Anywhere near Albion Street?

Croggy1 wrote: Anywhere near Albion Street? Hi Croggy1. Yes it's fairly near, but depending whereabouts on Albion Street you may be thinking of.

I used to get my prescriptions at that chemists in the 70s, later it became Nat West bank.

buffaloskinner wrote: I used to get my prescriptions at that chemists in the 70s, later it became Nat West bank. Hi buffaloskinner. Yes it did use to be a Nat West Bank. I don't though recall the chemist, but that's no surprise with my poor recollection of Leeds! . I bet others will soon now solve the location.