phill.d.2
The Clock Junction - Roundhay Road
See the full size, and whole collection of Leeds aerial photos here
Most of these old houses in the triangle of Harehills Avenue and Roundhay Road still survive today. The larger building seen on Roundhay Road and the corner of Sheperds Lane was the New Leeds Constitutional Club. A bowling green can be seen behind the club, during the war years a static water tank was built on the bowling green, a photo can be found of it on the Leodis website. By 1951 the water tank had been removed and the bowling green was back in use.
This is a good detailed view of the Clock cinema junction of Roundhay Road and Easterly Road. Here trams on the number 3 route would either carry straight on and head for Roundhay Park, or they would turn up the short spur of tracks on Easterly Road and terminate. It was intended to extend the tramway all the way up Easterly Road and head for the new Seacroft housing estate, but by 1959 the trams would sadly be a thing of the past in Leeds. The Clock cinema opened on Monday 21st November 1938 with the film 'The Hurricane' starring Jon Hall and Dorothy Lamour. It closed on Saturday 28th February 1976 with the film Incredible Journey. I recall going to this cinema a few times in the 1970's. I seem to recall one film being the Three Musketeers, and the other film I think was a 101 Dalmatians, which I wasn't too impressed with being a rough and tumble lad of that era. It wouldn't be until I saw Star Wars at the A.B.C cinema in 1977 that I would be left in awe at the big screen.
The Fforde Greene pub can be seen on the corner of Roundhay Road and Harehills Lane. The Fforde would become a premier music venue in the 60's, 70's and 80's. I recall seeing long crowds queuing up Easterly Road to see the bands on weekend evenings. Many famous bands graced the stage at the Fforde Greene before hitting the big time. The Beatles, Simple Minds, Sex Pistols, Dr Feelgood, Dire Straits, and more local bands like Be Bop Deluxe and The Prowlers to name but a few. The Prowlers are are still going strong, and can be seen in the few remaining live music venues around Leeds like The New Roscoe, and The Duck & Drake. Undesirable elements and the drugs trade moved into the pub after the nearby Hayfield on Chapletown Road was closed. The pub went down hill and was closed in 2004 after a Police raid. This once famous premier pub is now a continental supermarket. The white building in the triangle of land at the top left of the photo was the Astoria Ballroom. The Astoria was built in 1929 and formerly known as Harehills Palais-de-Danse. After its closure in 1992 it became Amrik's electrical showroom until 1995. Since then the building has been demolished and replaced by flats.
This photo to me is a stark reminder just how much home entertainment like D.V.D's, cable T.V, games consoles, computers, take away meals, and cheap supermarket booze has killed of these evening out socialising venues. All three of the featured places in this photograph have been closed, and all are an endangered species across the U.K. Pubs are closing at 26 a week, the many small local cinemas across our Cities have given way to one or two multiplex cinemas. Ballroom dancing only seems to exist at the Blackpool Tower, and on our T.V screens on a Saturday night with 'Strictly come dancing'
If you would like to talk to me about these aerial images, then please contact me on my main flickr account here
The Clock Junction - Roundhay Road
See the full size, and whole collection of Leeds aerial photos here
Most of these old houses in the triangle of Harehills Avenue and Roundhay Road still survive today. The larger building seen on Roundhay Road and the corner of Sheperds Lane was the New Leeds Constitutional Club. A bowling green can be seen behind the club, during the war years a static water tank was built on the bowling green, a photo can be found of it on the Leodis website. By 1951 the water tank had been removed and the bowling green was back in use.
This is a good detailed view of the Clock cinema junction of Roundhay Road and Easterly Road. Here trams on the number 3 route would either carry straight on and head for Roundhay Park, or they would turn up the short spur of tracks on Easterly Road and terminate. It was intended to extend the tramway all the way up Easterly Road and head for the new Seacroft housing estate, but by 1959 the trams would sadly be a thing of the past in Leeds. The Clock cinema opened on Monday 21st November 1938 with the film 'The Hurricane' starring Jon Hall and Dorothy Lamour. It closed on Saturday 28th February 1976 with the film Incredible Journey. I recall going to this cinema a few times in the 1970's. I seem to recall one film being the Three Musketeers, and the other film I think was a 101 Dalmatians, which I wasn't too impressed with being a rough and tumble lad of that era. It wouldn't be until I saw Star Wars at the A.B.C cinema in 1977 that I would be left in awe at the big screen.
The Fforde Greene pub can be seen on the corner of Roundhay Road and Harehills Lane. The Fforde would become a premier music venue in the 60's, 70's and 80's. I recall seeing long crowds queuing up Easterly Road to see the bands on weekend evenings. Many famous bands graced the stage at the Fforde Greene before hitting the big time. The Beatles, Simple Minds, Sex Pistols, Dr Feelgood, Dire Straits, and more local bands like Be Bop Deluxe and The Prowlers to name but a few. The Prowlers are are still going strong, and can be seen in the few remaining live music venues around Leeds like The New Roscoe, and The Duck & Drake. Undesirable elements and the drugs trade moved into the pub after the nearby Hayfield on Chapletown Road was closed. The pub went down hill and was closed in 2004 after a Police raid. This once famous premier pub is now a continental supermarket. The white building in the triangle of land at the top left of the photo was the Astoria Ballroom. The Astoria was built in 1929 and formerly known as Harehills Palais-de-Danse. After its closure in 1992 it became Amrik's electrical showroom until 1995. Since then the building has been demolished and replaced by flats.
This photo to me is a stark reminder just how much home entertainment like D.V.D's, cable T.V, games consoles, computers, take away meals, and cheap supermarket booze has killed of these evening out socialising venues. All three of the featured places in this photograph have been closed, and all are an endangered species across the U.K. Pubs are closing at 26 a week, the many small local cinemas across our Cities have given way to one or two multiplex cinemas. Ballroom dancing only seems to exist at the Blackpool Tower, and on our T.V screens on a Saturday night with 'Strictly come dancing'
If you would like to talk to me about these aerial images, then please contact me on my main flickr account here