Picture of young woman at North Leeds Charity Beer Festival.
Walking across the road towards the church of St Aidan yesterday I noticed signs up for a beer festival in the church hall so when I came out of the church I headed for the beer.
Anyone who knows me would be surprised to see me at a beer festival, I am not much of drinker but this was different this was a beer festival in Leeds. So for this blog I went to my first beer festival.
This was I think no ordinary beer festival, it was a charity event organised by the Rotary Club of Roundhay Leeds in association with the Lord Mayor of Leeds. The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Coun Rev Canon Alan Taylor, wearing his other hat is also the vicar of St Aidan's.
If you look closely at the beer glass in the above picture there are two logos, the first being the Rotarians of Roundhay, Leeds and the other being Leeds Brewery.
Picture of detail of mosaic at church of St Aidan at Harehills, Leeds.
Yesterday I revisited the church of St Martin at Potternewton, Leeds and then went to have a look at St Aidan's church in Harehills.
I lived in Harehills for around 1 year when I was a student in Leeds many years back, so I know the area pretty well. Although I had walked around the outside of the church of St Aidan I had never been beyond the locked door.
I knew St Aidans was large form the exterior but it was quite a bit bigger inside than I had thought. Everything about St Aidan's is on an almost Soviet era scale but especially the font and the pillars.
The one thing most people know about St Aidan's is the mosaics by Frank Brangwyn, these were completed in 1916. Originally Brangwyn was commissioned to decorate the church with a painting, but he worried about the smoky atmosphere in the area damaging the work so he started anew and produced a mosaic instead.
The mosaic in the apse shows scenes from the life of St Aidan and it like the church itself is on a grand scale. In the above picture can be seen a length of a mosaic on the stairway leading up to the altar with some of the main mosaic above and beyond this.
Treasure Revealed Leeds continues for the rest of this week at various religious sites across Leeds.
Picture of detail in window at church of St Martin at Potternewton, Leeds.
Treasures Revealed Leeds starts today and churches and other places of worship across the city will be open to visitors.
The above picture of a detail on a stained glass window shows an image of St Mary in the church of St Martins in Potternewton, Leeds.
I visited St Martins some days back on a dull and wet day but was taken aback by the quality and beauty of the stained glass windows in this one of the lesser known churches in the city. The church is perhaps best known because of the wall murals and also the organ.
Today St Martins church is open for visitor between 10am - 2am there will be organ recitals and singing by the music group. This church will also be open as part of the Treasures Revealed on Sat 5 May from 10am - 2pm.
St Martins Church, St Martin's View, LEEDS, LS7 3LB
Contact: Ms Veronica Boone Tel: 0113 293 8451
Picture of students in the rain on Briggate, Leeds.
I thought it rained quite a bit here in Leeds yesterday, but today the rain was if anything heavier.
Walking along Briggate in the shopping district of Leeds I saw these two young women out shopping. It turns out that these two girls are students at the University of Leeds. One volunteered to appear on my blog and the other then agreed also but only if they could be anonymous.
You would not guess it from their smiles but they really did need the umbrellas in the rain.
View of Stanningley by-pass in wing mirror from parked car in rain.
Today here in Leeds it rained, all day and it is still raining as I write this.
I often travel into Leeds city centre on the local train and as I look out of the window on the approach to Leeds city station I see in the near distance a church spire. This spire and the church that it belongs to has been puzzling me for some time, I have over the past couple of years on this blog visited many of the churches around the city but not this one.
Today I drove near to a church that was new to me, or rather I had long forgotten it, in Holbeck and realised that this was the mystery church. No longer a church, today the church of St Matthew in Holbeck is now a community centre and has been so for some years.
The next time I am nearby on a sunny-ish day I will take some photographs of the exterior and the adjacent burial ground and post more about this former church.
On my journey back along the Stanningley by-pass I pulled into a lay-by, parked up and took the above photo with my Blackberry. As can be seen it was very damp, a nice bit of Yorkshire understatement..
Two days back I visited another Leeds church, Holy Spirit Parish Church at Beeston, Leeds.
I used to pass this church quite often many years ago, but I rarely travel to Beeston these days and had never looked around Holy Spirit. It had rather slipped by me until I was reading the website for Treasures Revealed in Leeds a few days back and discovered that time is running out for this early Edwardian church.
Jack the treasurer of the church was kind and gave me a viewing of the church at short notice. The day was very dull and also it was raining heavily both prior to my arrival and also when I left. Not a good day to make a fine old building look at its best.
The church opened back in 1903, being built in Gothic Revival style. Inside there are some rather nice old carved wooden panel and other pieces. The church is surprisingly large, being bigger than I had thought. Today it is listed as Grade II and its future as a building is very uncertain, there is no vicar and it is soon to close as a church.
The church of the Holy Spirit on Tempest Road, Beeston is open for Treasures Revealed on Sun 6th May from 10am - 4pm.
I had thought about attending a St Georges Day event here in Leeds but the only one I think was held in Morley and I forget about it.
Here in lieu of an event is St George himself, oddly without a dragon, on a stained glass window at the church of St George, Leeds. The church of St George is one of the few churches in Leeds not to be participating in Treasures Revealed Leeds.
I have recently explored some of the churches involved Treasures Revealed here in Leeds that were new to me, but I will post more about them tomorrow.
Picture of Saint Martins House in Chapeltown, Leeds.
I was walking along Chapeltown Road, having re visited a local church to get some photos of the exterior (it was raining the last time I was there a few days back) and passing the above building thought I would stop for a photo.
In the 19th C Chapletown was known as New Leeds and I would think that this fine old building was residential, today it houses offices.
The church I had visited was St Martins on St Martins Avenue to have a look around and explorer the stained glass windows prior to Treasures Revealed in Leeds which runs this year from 28/4/12 to 7/5/12 .
I traveled from Leeds city centre up to Headingley yesterday on a bendy bus, not been on one in many years.
I took the above photo with my new Blackberry, upgraded to newer model last week and only used the camera yesterday, was surprised to discover that it does geo tags. Though I already knew about geotagging I have no real idea how to put it to use on this blog, but I will look into the idea.
I was looking around a church here in Yorkshire a couple of weeks back and noticed this bronze plaque resting on a small stand on front of the war memorial.
Considering the number made and sent out this is only the second one that I ever seen and the first that I could pick up and examine. It is a Great War death plaque (Dead Man's Penny) issued by the British government to the next of kin of servicemen/women who had fallen in WW1.
Designed by Edward Carter Preston following a competition eventually over 1,000,000 were made. The 12cm medallion was cast in bronze gunmetal with the words "He died for freedom and honour" and the name of the deceased individual.
On the plaque there are an image of Britannia holding an oak spray with leaves and acorns,
and an imperial lion, two dolphins representing Britain's sea power,
also the emblem of Imperial Germany's eagle being torn to pieces by another lion.
The memorial plaque was not presented to the family with any ceremony, the postman delivered them.
Normally I would be happy to name the church but on my many visits to both local Leeds churches and further afield I hear many stories of church break ins and theft including the one where they broke in and stole a carpet. Therefore I have deliberately obscured the surname on the plaque and just left his first name Walter, he is I feel sure long gone but not forgotten.
The only other time I have seen one of these plaques is one where it was cemented into the stone memorial headstone that is in a west Yorkshire churchyard. We live in age where people steal the bronze plaques on town and city war memorials and the local scrap merchants turn a blind eye to the obvious source and theft. How they can sleep at night I cannot think.
On a similar note I discovered this short film that deservedly won an Emmy for Tom Aviles the news photographer about The Friday Squad at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN in the US. By chance the uncle of someone I know who served as a tank commander in WW2 was buried not long back with I think the Tuesday Squad there.
Picture of a gateway to gardens at Kirkstall Abbey park, Leeds.
This gateway is in the gardens of Kirkstall Abbey park adjacent to the Abbey House museum.
The abbey itself is just across the other side of Kirkstall Road the A64, quite a busy road but there is a pedestrian crossing. Though the abbey car park is on this side of the road anyway.
The plaque on the gateway is in honour of Geoff Hodgson and reads:
Geoff Hodgson 1920 - 2001
Respected and tireless friend and guardian of the Kirkstall community.
This plaque was placed here by the Kirkstall village community association of which Geoff was once treasurer.
I took the above photo at Kirkstall Abbey Park this week back in 2010.
The picture shows the Abbey House that now houses the Abbey House Museum at the ruins of the Cistercian Abbey here at Kirkstall, a few miles from Leeds city centre.
The galleries of the museum feature the history of Kirkstall Abbey, Childhood, and Leeds Social History. There is also a nice cafe inside the former gatehouse of the abbey.
Walking further along Kirkstall Road past the Radio Aire building there are several buildings that are home to ITV Yorkshire.
When these buildings were first built back in 1968 they were the first purpose built colour studio in Europe. Yorkshire Television as it was known for most of its life produced many well known TV series including Flambards, Harry's Game, Heartbeat and The Beiderbecke Trilogy. I never realised it back then but Rising Damp was made here in Leeds. For children Follyfoot was a big hit, I remember my sister loved this series.
One of my all time favourite TV series The Sandbaggers was filmed in and around Leeds and shown between 1978 - 1980. Today the TV station is perhaps best known around the country for Emmerdale, launched back in 1972 as Emmerdale Farm and still running today.
Picture of the Radio Aire building on Kirkstall Road, Leeds.
A short walk along the grass or path that run parallel to Kirkstall Road from Burley park is the building that is home to Radio Aire.
Founded back in September 1981 it had not been running long before I first listened to the station when I moved to Leeds as a student. I used to often catch the late night talk show with James Whale and recall calling the show once but I cannot remember what we discussed.
Back in 1990 the station split its AM and FM frequencies to form two different stations the other being Magic 828, whilst Radio Aire continued on 96.3 FM
Over the last 30 years Radio Aire has had some well known presenters including Andy Kershaw, Bruno Brookes, Chris Moyles and regional TV presenter Christa Ackroyd.
Picture of small blue flowers in a Yorkshire churchyard.
Walking in the countryside yesterday with an old friend I stopped to look at a war memorial. As is usual there were so many names of the mostly young men of the village, who never made the journey back to Yorkshire.
as I was about to walk away back along the lane I stopped to admire some small blue flowers. I do not think that these quite small flowers were growing wild but I guess that they could well be wild flowers.
Picture of stained glass window showing a crucifixion scene.
I have visited several churches here in Leeds and further afield over the last few days and large and small there was one thing in common, Easter.
Easter is much more than perhaps a few days off work and possibly an easter egg. Easter is also the most important festival in the Christian calendar, a celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ.
My picture today comes from a church not here in Leeds but one not far from Huddersfield, the church at Kirkheaton. I chose a detail showing Christ on the cross from a much larger window.
It was rather a sunny day when I visited the church and you can see the wire behind the window as shadow. It would have been better on a rather dull, cloudy day.
Picture of Dante in the tiled hall in the Leeds city library building.
This tiling and portrait of Dante are in the tiled hall that is now a cafe in the Leeds city library building on The Headrow.
The sculpted portrait of Dante is signed B Creswick Sc 1881. I may be wrong but I think that this is Benjamin Creswick (1853 - 1946) who was an English sculptor born in Sheffield.
Walking down Green Road in Meanwood towards the park and the Lawrence Oates memorial I noticed the Meanwood Institute.
The Institute opened as such in 185 but the building dates from 1820. Meanwood has a strong sense of community as I discovered on visiting the nearby church Holy Trinity. One of the ladies who was kind and gave me coffee at the church and showed me around has a connection with the Institute.
Picture of the Lawrence Oates memorial in Meanwood Park Leeds.
Alongside the civic trust blue plaque to Lawrence Oates there are also on the wall 2 information boards that explain the Oates family history and the history of the family house and estate Meanwoodside.
In front of the wall there is a raised memorial cross surrounded by flowers. Personally I think this cross is hideous with its Latin inscription, but I do applaud the idea and the thought behind it.
Lawrence Oates died on 16th March 1912, one day short of his 32nd birthday. Oates never knew that his self sacrifice was in vain, but like many soldiers before and since he put his life after that of his fellows.
Meanwoodside formerly the Oates family estate is now Meanwood Park and the Oates memorial is adjacent to the car park on Green Road a short distance past Meanwood Church of England Primary School at postcode LS6 4LD.
Picture of a blue plaque commemorating Captain Lawrence Oates at Meanwood in Leeds
For boys of my generation Titus Oates was a boys own hero, he lived and died in a larger than life way. Very few people have their last words cast into the national consciousness.
The latest blue plaque to be unveiled here in Leeds, was unveiled recently in Meanwood Park. Meanwood park was once called Meanwoodside and was owned by the Oates family.
On the 100th anniversary of the death of Captain Lawrence Oates a Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque was unveiled in the public park.
The blue plaque reads:
A Very Gallant Gentleman
To commemorate Captain Lawrence E.G. Oates a member of Capt. Scott's expedition to the South Pole 1910 - 1912 a frequent visitor to Meanwoodside, the Oates family Home.
Died 17th March 1912
Captain Oates famously stepped outside the tent into a blizzard saying “I am just going outside and may be some time.”
Their are now 3 memorials to Lawrence "Titus" Oates across Leeds. There is a brass memorial plaque on a wall at Leeds parish church, secondly a monument adjacent to Holy Trinity church at Meanwood and lastly the above blue plaque.
Picture of Talbot Hounds Fountain in Trevelyan Square Leeds.
This dog or more properly hound is to be found in Trevelyan Square just off Boar Lane across from Holy Trinity church.
Until I mentioned it to someone I know I had assumed the this stone fountain was a recent sculpture, but I was wrong. The fountain was commissioned by a Capt Joseph Edwards back in the 1850's for his home Castle Carr near Halifax. Castle Carr had extensive water gardens and this fountain was a small part of these, the house was demolished in 1961.
The Talbot hounds fountain was rediscovered restored and later bought by MEPC for their development at Trevelyan Square. The fountain consists of a round cup shape with four hounds around it.
Leeds is the largest city in Yorkshire and the business, financial and legal centre of Yorkshire. Leeds is also the fastest growing city in England. Through my Leeds photography I will try to give you an insight into life here in Leeds in particular and Yorkshire in General.
My Leeds and Yorkshire photography is available as high resolution images, also stock photography of Leeds and Yorkshire for use in newsletters, newspapers, books, web sites, etc. I have photographs of much of Leeds, Bradford and elsewhere in Yorkshire
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