Ft and In at Oakwood

Picture of cast iron marker at Oakwood, Leeds

I passed by this old cast iron marker whilst walking through Oakwood recently and thought, interesting and old too.

So here in this photo is an old cast iron marker, marked with ft and in for feet and inches and also the crown for I think possibly King George V. The broad arrow was a marking used on crown property and also I think Ordnance Survey used it, so I am guessing something to do with map making.

I am open to suggestions, any ideas?

Woodland Flowers Oakwood Leeds

Picture of Celandine Flowers Leeds.

I spotted these little yellow celandine flowers in some woodland in Oakwood in North Leeds. You can see part of acorns in the photo also, so there are oaks in Oakwood. I was in this part of North Leeds for the Oakwood farmers market.

Fire Alarm Leeds

Picture of Leeds Fire Engine outside The Leeds Library, Commercial St, Leeds

The fire alarm went off in The Leeds Library, whilst I was there this week, a small drama in an uneventful day.

It was a false alarm but before this was discovered the fire brigade arrived to ensure all was well.

My uncle was a London fireman and in my book these men and women are the true heroes of our society, not footballers or TV celebrities.

From Dragons Den to Leeds Library

Picture of Sharon Wright at Leeds Library.

By luck some days back I discovered that someone who had been on the TV show Dragons Den was giving a talk at the central library in Leeds city centre.

I am quite a fan of the show and most of the Dragons and I do remember the show when Sharon Wright a single mother from Scunthorpe and her company MagnaMole wowed the Dragons. The pitch that Sharon gave on the show was incredible and now having met her I know why, Sharon is a remarkable woman.

Sharon was speaking at a meeting of the Leeds Inventors Group at the Central Library in Leeds about her book "Mother of Invention", which she wrote herself in four weeks and about life during and after the Dragons Den.

Sharon said that she spent 90 miutes before the Dragons but you only get to see an edited version. After the show went out Sharon got 7,000 emails mostly of congratulation and some offering distribution.

Sharon gave the audience much advice including "Be cheeky and ask the question" "You do not ask, you do not get" and "Never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone".

Sharon was kind and posed for my camera in the library building, so we stepped into the rather splendid hallway for a few shots.

Leeds War Memorial Sunset

Picture of Leeds War Memorial Sunset.

A few days ago I was strolling to the Leeds central library and on passing the Leeds city War Memorial at Victoria Gardens on the Headrow I took this photo at sunset.

I was going to the library in the hope of meeting a guest speaker, someone I knew of from the TV show Dragons Den but more of that tomorrow.

Oakwood Clock Leeds

Picture of Oakwood Clock Leeds.

This tall and ornate clock tower by Leeds clock-makers Wm Potts and sons was built for Kirkgate Market in Leeds, was rejected as unsuitable for the market and later erected here in the Leeds district of Oakwood in 1912.

Standing atop the clock tower is the symbol of the city of Leeds, an owl.

I took this photo on one of those cloudy days with occasional bright sunshine coming through the clouds.

Oakwood Farmers Market 3rd Birthday 3

This picture is another from the Oakwood Farmers Market and is from a stall there selling preserves. The photo shows jars of Greengage Jam, Quince Jelly and Champagne Rhubarb from the local people at Perfectly Preserved who make chutney, jam, ketchup and relish.

I have always liked those varieties of fruit now rather less common than they once were, like greengages and rhubarb and even quince. Whilst I had heard of quince I was not even sure what it looked like, so looked it up, quince belongs to same family of fruit as apples and pears and looks a bit like a pear.

The Oakwood farmers market is held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the Oakwood Clock in Oakwood, North Leeds.

Oakwood Farmers Market 3rd Birthday 2

Picture of English Setter Oakwood Leeds.

This beautiful dog I met whilst at Oakwood Farmers Market last weekend.

An English Setter he is called Count Merlot by his owner, though his real name is Tequila Sunset. Count Merlot is 4 1/2 years old and has a lovely temperament. The English Setter Association calls this breed A Gentleman by Nature and in him this is very true.

By chance his owner was I think later going to the BBC TV event Frankensteins Wedding Live in Leeds that evening, along with me and around 12,000 others.

Just behind Count Merlot's head you can see a glimpse of the Oakwood Clock amd also some of the stalls of the market.

Oakwood Farmers Market 3rd Birthday

Picture of Face Painting at Oakwood Farmers Market Leeds Girl.

This last weekend was the 3rd birthday of the Oakwood farmers market held at Oakwood in North Leeds. You might think that a farmers market would be mostly about herbs, onions, artisan breads and you would be right at least in part but here at Oakwood it was also about fun.

I know Oakwood quite well because some years back I used to live behind the Oakwood library. So when I got an email about the market I was quite keen to revisit the area and also have a look at the market.

The fun aspect of the market was the free face painting on offer by someone who I recognized, I had seen Rose White, as I now know her name at the Leeds Pride day last year. Rose is busy in the above photo working her magic on a junior member of the public.

Picture of Face Painting at Oakwood Farmers Market Leeds finished.

This boy seems very pleased with the result of the painting that Rose did on his face.

I will post more pictures from Oakwood Farmers Market tomorrow.

Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds 4

Picture of group of girls at Frankensteins Wedding Live in Leeds.

More pictures from the BBC Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds from Kirkstall Abbey. These girls in the above photo were at the very front just behind the crowd barrier and they are from the Phoenix Youth Academy and from the left are Emma R, Giselle, Amy, Annie and Emma F.

Picture of Frankenstein's Wedding Leeds Group of young people.

These guys just wanted to be in the picture and so they are.

Picture of Frankenstein's Wedding Leeds Audience.

I had been chatting to these two women about the event, commenting on the white plastic BBC ponchos that they had acquired from somewhere. Earlier in the day it had looked as if it might rain but in the end the weather was cold and bright, or rather dark. The two lads just wanted to be in the photo.

Thats all folks. I think I have exhausted this rich stream of pictures from this event at Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds.

Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds 3

Picture of Frankensteins Wedding Leeds Stage at Kirkstall Abbey.

This view above was taken be me a short while before the performance Frankensteins Wedding Live at Leeds began and from near the back of the crowds the view of the stage was not great. There was however a giant screen at the front and is some ways people watching that got a straightforward view of the performance.

Picture of Franksteins Wedding Lacey Turner.

This picture of Lacey Turner cast as Elizabeth Lavenza shortly before her end. I was not quite sure when I took these pictures but as I thought the evening was pretty chilly and sure enough Lacey is not smoking, just breathing out.

Picture of Franksteins Wedding Leeds Crowd.

I have not yet met anyone who was there on the night at Kirkstall Abbey, at least since we all went home. I am pretty sure that I will meet quite a few people over the next few days who was there and I am also quite sure that they will say the event was great. These young women look gripped by the scene taking place before them.

Picture of Franksteins Wedding Leeds Audience.

It is not often that the audience gets to participate in a BBC music and drama production and these people were well into the zone. I would have been but I had to earn my place at the no mans land between the cast on the stage and the audience, this being occupied by BBC crew and the press photographers.

Tomorrow there will be more pictures from Franksteins Wedding Live in Leeds here on the Leeds Daily Photo.

Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds 2

Picture of Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds toast.

More pictures from last nights BBC event Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds. The above picture of cast members on stage during the live performance here in Leeds at the medieval abbey at Kirkstall are from Left Jemima Rooper, Andrew Gower, Lacey Turner and Mark Williams.

Kirstall Abbey, famous for being painted by JMW Turner was for one night only a splendid backdrop to this live music and drama production, a re imagining of Mary Shelley's Gothic horror story Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus first published in 1818.

Picture of Frankenstein's Wedding Live Leeds Laboratory.

Part of the story of Frankenstein's Wedding Live Leeds took place in the laboratory which was created as a see through box added on to the Abbey structure. In the above photo can be seen Victor Frankenstein in his lab, if you look closely you can see a BBC camera on the left.

Picture of Frankensteins Wedding Live Dancer.

With a cast of hundreds and many dancers Frankensteins Wedding Live in Leeds contained several dance sequences. I think the dancer on the table on the stage in the above photo is a member of Leeds own Phoenix Dance Theatre.

Picture of Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds Monster meets Elizabeth.

This above picture shows the monster, Victor Frankensteins creation played most sympathetically by Shakespearean actor David Harewood about to attack the new bride Elizabeth played in true Eastenders style by Lacey Turner formerly of that soap. I must admit I had to turn around and ask some girls in the audience behind the barrier who she was because I really do not watch any soaps.

Personally I thought Frankensteins Wedding Live in Leeds was a really good performance, especially as like most of the audience I knew the ending because this is such a famous story.

Something I have just noticed... BBC radio 4 is starting this new week 21st March with the only other novel that Mary Shelley finished "Mathilda" as the Book at Bedtime read by Emilia Fox, best known perhaps for her role in Silent Witness and I recall her first role as Georgiana sister of Mr Darcy in the famous BBC Pride and Prejudice.

There will be part 3 of this small series of photos including some more pictures of people in the audience here on the Leeds Daily Photo tomorrow.

Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds 1

Picture of Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds audience.

This evening I was lucky and got to attend Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds a BBC event held at Kirkstall Abbey on the outskirts of the city.

For me the stars of the evening were not those on the stage being paid by the BBC but the thousands of ordinary men and women who attended the event from all over Yorkshire and I guess quite a bit further too. By this I mean the audience or at least the majority of them had made quite an effort to dress up for the occasion.

I met and chatted with some older ladies from Docaster and Barnsley, later some younger mothers on a night out from Harrogate and later some young girls from around the city of Leeds. The one thing they had in common was a desire to enjoy the evening and be with their friends.

The above photograph shows just a small section of the audience clearly enjoying what was happening during the performance.

Because I got back late this evening and I want get this post up and running there will be more from Frankenstein's Wedding Live in Leeds over the next few days.

Northern Ballet Building - Leeds

Picture of Northern Ballet Building Leeds.

This building is the newish purpose built home to both Northern Ballet and also the Phoenix Dance Theatre here in Leeds.

I know very little about Northern Ballet, when I emailed them they never got back to me.

I have met people from Phoenix Dance Theatre before at the launch of Frankensteins Wedding Live in Leeds with the BBC. Tomorrow is the event, this being held tomorrow evening at Kirkstall Abbey on the Outskirts of Leeds, so I thought the above photo appropriate for todays post.

Challenge 66 Bradford

Picture of Challenge 66 Bradford Lord Mayor.

Day 2 of Challenge 66 sees Ultra Marathon runner and Yorkshire businessman Andy McMenemy and his team arrive in the city of Bradford. The above picture shows Bradford Lord Mayor, Councillor Peter Hill saying a few words before the start of todays run.

Picture of Challenge 66 Bradford start.

This photo shows the start of the Challenge66 Bradford leg being run in Lister Park in Bradford. Andy is accompanied by local runners for as much or as little of each days run as they can either manage or are are able to fit into their day.

If you read this and are a runner in or near any of the forthcoming cities that Andy will be running in, I know that Andy and his team will be pleased to hear from you. Equally if you are not a runner please feel free to turn up at any of the cities in the UK to cheer Andy on.

The Challenge66 website has details of the cities and places that Andy will be running and also how to contact the Challenge 66 team.

Yesterday Challenge 66 started here in the city of Leeds, today it was Bradford and there are now 64 cities remaining.

Challenge 66 Leeds

Picture of Challenge 66 Leeds Start on Briggate.

A few weeks ago I met a man in Leeds Corn Exchange by chance, Andy McMenemy the son of a former soldier decided to do something to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund - The Soldiers’ Charity by running 66 ultra marathons.

An ultra marathon is 50km or 31.7 miles. During Challenge66 Andy will run 66 Ultra Marathons in 66 Days, one from each of the 66 official Cities in the United Kingdom with no rest days.

The above picture shows Andy setting off from Briggate in Leeds city centre.

Picture of Challenge 66 Leeds Hyde Park.

Andy ran from Briggate up to Hyde Park and then ran quite a few circuits of the park joined for some of the distance by various runners. In the above picture Andy can be seen bringing up the rear of his small band of people on this very cool and misty day in amongst the trees of Hyde Park, Leeds.

Picture of Challenge 66 Leeds Finish.

And completed the first day of this incredible challenge where he started this morning on Briggate in Central Leeds. Challenge66 is for a very serious cause and one that I feel needs all the help it can get. Our young men and women are right now putting themselves in harms way for our country and the least we can do is to ensure that they get help should they need it.

St John the Evangelist Church in Snow Leeds

Picture of St John the Evangelist church in snow, Leeds.

Recently when I posted a couple of stories about John Harrison of Leeds, his statue that stands in City Square and the church that he built and endowed St John the Evangelist church, I realised that I had not really done justice to this fine old church.

So here in the above photo is St John the Evangelist church, seen from across Merrion Gardens, towards the end of a snowy afternoon this last winter.

BBC Antiques Roadshow Saltaire

Picture of BBC filming Antiques Roadshow Saltaire in Yorkshire.

Last Spring the BBC came to Yorkshire to film episodes of the Antiques Roadshow, firstly in Saltaire, then the next town on their schedule Beverley in E Yorkshire.

They split the Saltaire Antiques Roadshow into 2 parts, one shown on Sunday just gone and part 2 will be shown this coming Sunday evening. You can still catch the first part of the Saltaire edition of the Antiques Roadshow on BBC iplayer.

I was invited to Beverley for the filming but could not make it. Since then I have been invited by the BBC to Frankenstein’s Wedding…Live in Leeds.

The more observant might just recognise Fiona Bruce the TV presenter, looking her up on Wikipedia I have just discovered that she was named as Rear of the Year for 2010. Rightly or wrongly Fiona is in great company previous winners include Felicity Kendal, Anneka Rice and Leeds girl Nell McAndrew.

Air Quality Monitoring Station - Leeds Centre

Picture of air quality monitoring station - Leeds centre.

This green metal container located just off Woodhouse Lane between Queens Square Court and the Woodhouse Lane Car Park is an air quality monitoring station.

There are 2 of these air quality monitoring stations, part of a national network of 132 run by DEFRA, here in Leeds. This station is part of the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) and it measures oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO) and particles (PM10).

In the background of the photograph behind the air quality monitoring station can been seen part of the Woodhouse Lane car park.

Crocus at Lovell Park Leeds

Picture of Crocus at Lovell Park Leeds.

I spotted these crocuses flowering in a small public park opposite the Leeds College of Building.

The park is called Lovell Park and the area of inner city Leeds is also called Lovell Park, it lies between Blenheim and Little London. There were also a a very few daffodils in flower but it was a very windy day and rather than wait for a lull in the wind I made do with a photo of these crocus flowers. Normally I would have got some general photographs of the park but with the trees still bare of leaves I will leave that to another visit in a few weeks.

John Harrison - Statue Leeds

Picture of Statue of John Harrison in Leeds.

This tall bronze statue of John Harrison 1579 - 1656 stands on a tall plinth outside the former General Post Office building in City Square, Leeds.

John Harrison was a wealthy merchant and one-time mayor of Leeds and a generous benefactor in the city. He may have this fine statue dedicated to his memory but his real monument is the church that he built, Saint John the Evangelist Church in New Briggate, known locally as St. John's Church. Unlike Tony Blair who spent so long looking for his legacy, John Harrison is today surrounded by his, after his death he was buried in the church that he built.

Floor at Church of Saint Mark - Woodhouse

Picture of floor tiles Church of Saint Mark Leeds.

Thanks to a local stonemason I got a sneak viewing of the inside of the church of Saint Mark in Woodhouse, Leeds this week.

This large Victorian Waterloo church has been shut for the last few years and sadly time and some vandalism have taken their toll. But there is good news, Saint Marks is about to have a renaissance. English Heritage have put up a grant to repair the fabric of the church.

The ceramic floor tiles in the above photograph are on the floor of the church. I am no expert of ceramic tiles, it is possible that they are Victorian originals, I just do not know.

Saint Marks is the last of the 3 Waterloo churches built in Leeds with money from the government to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon. The other Waterloo churches in Leeds were Christ Church, Meadow Lane and St Mary, Quarry Hill these have since been demolished.

Primrose Public House -

Picture of Primrose Pub Leeds.

This pub at the junction of Buslingthorpe Lane and Meanwood Road is the Primrose. True to its name the Primrose public house is painted a shade of yellow.

This small pub is best known locally for live music. Oddly on the wall there is an advertising poster for a film I would like to see "The Adjustment Bureau".

Just across from the Primrose on the way back to Woodhouse and the Church of Saint Mark was a tethered horse.

Questionable Parking

Picture of horse parked in Leeds.

Walking across parts of Woodhouse, Buslingthorpe and Little London today I passed the Primrose Pub and saw across the road and chained up on a piece of grass this small horse or maybe pony. I am not really sure of the distinction.

One thing I do know, I deplore the parking of these beasts of burden by members of the traveling community. I took this horses photo and said hello and he was perfectly friendly and I suspect does not get much affection from day to day. If any member of the settled community parked their horse on someone else's land the council and or police would pretty quick to point out that there are any number of reasons why you cannot do this.

In the above photo in the background you can see the Primrose Pub, but I will post about that tomorrow.
It was a real pity I did not have a few mints or carrots in my pocket this afternoon.

Room At The Top BBC TV - Filmed in Leeds

Back in the Autumn whilst walking along Hunslet Road I noticed something happening in the entrance yard of the "The Pressed Steel Works" of Braime adjacent to Costco Leeds.

It was the BBC filming a TV adaptation of Room at the Top, unfortunately anything that was happening was happening indoors whilst I was there. So all I got to photograph was this old double decker bus and some lighting gear. The bus had the coat of arms of the city of Leeds and was made up as Leeds city transport.

Yorkshire is quite popular as a place for filming, both for TV and also for feature films. In the last year I have stumbled across filming for two other TV productions, the last one being the BBC costume drama South Riding.

Room at the top, is adapted from the book of the same name by Yorkshire born writer John Braine, until now it is best remembered from the film of 1957 starring Simone Signoret, Laurence Harvey and Heather Sears.

This new version will be shown on BBC Four and is classed as coming up on the BBC website.

Love Plaque - Blenheim Avenue Woodhouse

Picture of Love Plaque Woodhouse Leeds.

A few streets away from the church of All Souls in Leeds is Blenheim Avenue a fairly unremarkable road in the Woodhouse district of North Leeds.

One thing that this short road has are some rather nice and interesting ceramic plaques set into concrete blocks adjacent to the roadway opposite the houses. I think that these concrete blocks were placed there to stop people parking their cars on the small strip of grass that is there. Each of the row of blocks has stuck into the concrete a square ceramic plaque each with a different design on it. The plaque I chose for this post is the one that lies at the entrance to the road and this plaque has a yellow starfish shape with a red heart surround by the blue of the ocean with the words.. Love, Beautiful, Sunshine and Hopeful.

War Memorial - All Souls Church Leeds

Picture of war memorial all souls church Leeds.

Not only was All Souls church here in Leeds new to me but the war memorial outside in the grounds is quite interesting also.

The Great War as it was then known and now also known as World War 1 from 1914 - 1918 had I think perhaps more participants from our cities, towns and villages and also casualties than any war before or since. Visit almost any village or town here in Yorkshire or further afield and you will find a substantial war memorial nearly always built of stone with a list of names either carved into the stone or engraved onto a metal plaque fixed to the memorial.

I cannot recall seeing a similar one to the war memorial in the above photo, but there are so many of them all over the UK. This war memorial outside All Souls church is quite tall with a square stone base and a stone plinth in the form of a cross, on the cross is a bronze statue of I think the crucifixion of Christ. On the front of the memorial are four bronze plaques, 3 on the base being the list of names and a central one above.

Picture of War Memorial Plaque Woodhouse, Leeds.

The plaque reads:

To The Glory Of God
And In Memory Of Those Who Died For Home For Country And For Honour
1914 - 18
Grant O Lord Eternal Rest And Let Light Eternal Shine Upon Them

Most of the war memorials I have seen do not generally exalt the Christian message quite like this war memorial. This war memorial like All Souls church itself is a Grade II listed structure.

All Souls Church Leeds

Picture of All Souls Church, Leeds.

All Souls Church Leeds is a large Victorian stone built church and part of the church of England, that is located next to Blenheim Lodge on Blackman Lane.

This C of E church has a few interesting details, it was built by public subscription, as a memorial to Dr W. F. Hook, Vicar of Leeds for some 22 years and later Dean of Chichester. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, "to stem the tide of spiritual destitution" in the area, and is the last church he designed before his death in 1878: his son, John Oldrid Scott, took over the supervision of the building.

The foundation stone was laid in September 1876, the church was consecrated on the 29th of January 1880.

Between 1968 and 1974 part of the church was used as the BBC Leeds TV studios, primarily for the nightly local news programme Look North. In 1974 the BBC moved to studios nearby at Broadcasting House, on Woodhouse Lane. I did not move to Yorkshire till much later so I never saw any of these programmes.

Normally I would have been further back to get this photo, however there is a building quite close to it, so until I get a wider lens this is it.

Blenheim Lodge Woodhouse - Victorian House

Picture of Blenheim Lodge Leeds.

Following on from yesterdays post about Blenheim Lodge a large Victorian family home on Blackman Lane in Woodhouse, Leeds here is a picture of just the house.

I have given this photo a slight Victorian look to it, or at least how I suspect it might look in an early photograph. The Bulmer family were well to do, father being a solicitor, so I would think that they did have photographs taken, but if they still exist they will be in someones cupboard somewhere.

On the right of the photo and behind this house is a large Victorian church, All Souls C of E Church, this building being another that was new to me. This church will feature tomorrow on the Leeds daily photo.

Blenheim Lodge Woodhouse - Victorian Family Home

Picture of Blenheim Lodge on Blackman Lane,Woodhouse, Leeds

Walking through Woodhouse was for me a chance to explore some parts of this area that I cannot recall ever having been to. This was the case when I chanced upon the above house shown in the above photo Blenheim Lodge.

Blenheim Lodge was built for the Bulmer family in 1853 and the 1881 census shows that living in Blenheim Lodge at that time were...

Charles Bulmer born 1824 in Leeds, Solicitor Clerk Of The Peace For The Borough Of Leeds.
Susannah Bulmer born 1826 in Leeds, wife.
Ada H. Bulmer born 1861 in Leeds, Daughter.
Sarah Ann Kirk born 1852 in Lincoln, Housekeeper.

Ada Bulmer never married and was the last person to live in the house, before the Leeds education authority took it over in 1935 and used it as day nursery. Later Blenheim Lodge became an Early Years Centre which it remained until that was closed and I believe that today the house is now a home once more, although I think divided into flats.

Sign Of The Times - St Marks Avenue, Woodhouse

Picture of St Marks Avenue Leeds street sign.

A short stroll from the post box on Raglan Road is a short road that connects Woodhouse Lane to St Mark's Road where the church of St Mark, Woodhouse, Leeds is located. This road is I guess named after the church by being called St Mark's Avenue.

Saint Marks Avenue is I think not really an avenue despite the many trees it is quite narrow and there is no longer an exit at the far end to St Marks Road, as I discovered recently whilst driving into it.

Send free Leeds eCards courtesy of the Leeds Daily photo.

Saint Mark's Avenue is home to Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, that was originally built in 1904 and opened as Notre Dame Collegiate School for Girls founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Today the college is still catholic but has a mixed student body, by that I mean boys as well as girls.

The street name sign looks to me as though it needs some TLC, perhaps a rub down and some new paint.