Leeds (Part 7: West)

The seventh and final instalment from Leeds.

First up is Leeds prison (HMP Leeds) on Armley Road. The clock is on top of the gatehouse. You always feel nervous about taking photographs in such places as there is the sense that you will be accosted by armed guards. Luckily no such problems this time.

Further along Armley Road is what is now known as Tower Court. This impressive building is what was once the Armley Board School, known locally as The Clock School for obvious reasons.

The clock is another product of the Potts factory of 1878.

Across the road from Tower Court is Armley itself, and this incredible library building. Having already come across several libraries in Leeds that are no longer libraries, it is good to find one with a clock that still is!

Both the building and the clock (yet another Potts product) date from 1901.

A move across to the parallel Kirkstall Road now, and to Queensbury Jewellers. Full marks to them for having a clock on what is clearly a much newer building than the ones we have just seen. As a jewellers there is also a much greater pressure for the clock to be working properly - luckily I can report that it was showing the correct time.

Just off Kirkstall Road is Bankfield Terrace, which was the home of Potts clocks from 1928. The William Potts Clockmakers timepiece is still there, but sadly at the time of my visit was obscured by scaffolding.

Staying off the main road and doubling back to the main road you can find the church of St Matthias, with its fairly standard clock.

Doubling back again on the way to Burley Park railway station to save my feet from the walk back to the city centre, I came across this clock on Cardigan Lane. It is unusual to see a clock like this on what is clearly a modern housing development on a quiet side road (opposite the housing is a recreation ground).

The development is called Abbots Mews, so I am guessing that the clock may have been taken from some form of religious building that was originally on the site (do any Leeds historians know the answer to this?)

And so we reach the end of the clock hunting trip to Leeds. In the seven postings I have covered 66 clocks (disappointingly many were not working), one that was covered up, and one that wasn't there! An impressive number for one city, and I know there are others that I didn't get a chance to see.

But it is time to say goodbye to Leeds for now.