Historic images show former Leeds pub promised a knight to remember

A former pub and hotel founded by an ancient order of knights and which welcomed Charlotte Bronte as a guest is among the lost buildings of Leeds rediscovered by librarians.

A fascinating photo of the Old George Hotel is just one of the historic images uncovered by staff trawling the huge archives at Leeds Central Library, which chart the changing face of the city over the centuries.

The Old George Hotel, which was once under the railway bridge on Lower Briggate, is believed to have been first owned by the Knights Templar in the 13th century. The much later photo, taken in around 1891, still shows the Templar crosses displayed on the front of the pub.

This is believed this carried certain privileges for establishments which displayed them, including the ‘Leeds Soke’, an exemption from having to use the King’s Mill in Swinegate to grind corn.

Repurposed as a hotel, the building later became 'The Old George' in 1815. Author Charlotte Bronte once stayed there on her way to Belgium and later described the interior in her famed 1847 novel ‘Jane Eyre’. The hotel closed in 1919 and was demolished soon after.

The Old George is among the pictures rediscovered as part of an ongoing project to curate the vast Leodis gallery, an online photographic archive which features more than 68,000 images of Leeds taken over the centuries.

They include several buildings which have made way for major developments, been damaged beyond repair or completely revamped making them virtually unrecognisable today.

Senior librarian Louise Birch, who has been painstakingly curating the Leodis archive, said: “These pictures are so enthralling because they not only show buildings which no longer exist, they’re also a visual record of just how much the urban landscape of Leeds has changed over many centuries.

“Behind each of these images is a rich and fascinating story detailing how the building came to be, what role it played in the Leeds of its day and why it is no longer part of the city we know now.

“We hope visitors to Leodis will get to experience more of what Leeds was like in days gone by as well as finding out more about local history and heritage."

Among the other buildings featured is a picture of the Coloured or Mixed Cloth Hall taken in 1888. Designed by architect John Moxon was built on Park Row in 1758 and was once the largest building in Georgian Leeds.

The building’s rotunda was used as offices and housed the Council Chamber of the Trustees. In 1889 the Leeds Corporation paid £66,000 for the hall so they could clear it away for what is today City Square and the General Post Office building.

Also included is Commercial Buildings on the corner of Park Row and Boar Lane. The Georgian buildings were designed by architect John Clark and built at a cost of £28,000 in 1829. Its eye-catching columns were 40 feet high and inside was a reading room stocked with daily newspapers, available to read in exchange for an annual subscription.

Other facilities included a dining room, concert room and hotel accommodation. The Commercial Buildings were demolished in 1872 and the site was to become that of the Royal Exchange Building.

An image of the Cock and Bottle pub, taken in around 1906, which once welcomed people on the junction of Upperhead Row and Guildford Street also features.

Formerly a coaching inn, it was one of several historic buildings bought by Snowden Schofield in 1938. It was demolished in 1961 to make way for the famous Schofield’s department store.

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, said: “Leodis is a truly unique resource, capturing and preserving generations of life in Leeds in an archive that’s accessible to all.

“It’s amazing to see some of these remarkable stories being rediscovered and to be hopefully inspiring more people in Leeds to find out more about the city and its heritage.”

Leodis is part of Leeds Libraries and Information service and is free to access via: https://www.leodis.net

ENDS