I was born in 1961. I went to Clapgate school until I was 13 then went Parkside high school. First job after leaving school was at Leonard coopers. Only did one year. Then I trained as a mechanic. Growing up in belle isle was ok. I'm not sure if I'm the best person to talk about it. I don't think it was any better or worse than most other parts of Leeds. I don't really have any great memories of the place. Its just where I grew up, on a average sort of council estate in south Leeds. When I got married we moved away. Mum and dad stayed there until they died. But I still own the house. Not been back for 6 years now. Still have a couple of friends who live there. I have some good memories and some bad memories. But I guess I just wanted to travel and see more of the world.
My brother Geoff had the Belle Isle service station. He trained there and ended buying into the business. He sold up about 14 or 15 years ago. My wife and I set up an hair salon near Morrisons. Called the cutting crew next to the chemist (well it used to be a chemists) not sure if either are still there
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I was brought up on the manor farms in the 60s and 70s. I roamed the woods and knew every inch of it. I rode through it and made dens in the craters which I naively thought were made by Bings in WW2. They were mining holes. I explored the old scrapyard near across the fields and the huge boulders were made for climbing. The park was great and I worked Saturdays on the boats and in the putting green. I loved the place back then, my dad paid £2000 for our house and it’s still worth that now. Oh and my school at Clapgate had the best rugby team in Yorkshire
Born in 1948 and lived in Parnaby View, Leeds 10 until 1960’s. went to Hunslet Carr CS Girls school and then on to College of Commerce.
Happy childhood memories playing freely in fields and allotments at the bottom of the Parnaby’s, (now M1) collecting frogs and newts and jumping from cemetery wall onto hay bails that all the kids had piled up.. Visiting Belle Isle and Middleton (Miggy) woods to spend time with friends. I remember the influx of new children from Belle Isle school joining us at Hunslet Carr school. Not an easy mixing at first but soon got used to each other. Moved to Swindon at age 16 and sadly lost contact with everyone. Would love to hear from anyone that remembers me : especially Jackie (John) Hodgkinson that lived on our street and anyone from Hunslet Carr school during 1950/60’s. At school the name was Carol Cardus My family and I moved to West Grange Gardens Belle Isle probably around 1966. I remember anyhow that the new build house was six months old. My parents were not allowed to decorate it for several months, because the council had said the walls were still drying out! Those houses never dried out and we had dreadful condensation that ran down the windows and the inside walls. We had Silver fish, that when you turned on the lounge light you saw running all over the carpet. Yuk. Close by at the back of West Grange Green there are still remnants of the original fields and some trees that my best friend and I used to climb up and pretend we were jungle warrior queens. Well she was anyway. I think I was her servant! The trees have survived, but sadly they are perhaps not as loved by the locals as once they were. Beyond them loomed the 'slag heaps' as we called them, that were taken from the working pit several years before we came, but were still steaming like hot sponge puddings. We used to run around the tops of those mountains as we thought of them, and come home filthy, but happy. There were some old used cars on the field that we used to play in, and once a boy snatched a kiss off me inside one of them. I told him to 'get lost'. I think I probably would have been about 11 at the time. I live in South West France these days, but until this year when I lost my lovely mum I often came back to see her, and I would look across at the trees from mums back bedroom window and wonder how long they will they be allowed to remain there, faithfully watching over all the changes taking place in that little corner of Belle Isle (Beautiful Island) Happy days
I used to get off in town opposite Woolies just remembered M&S tram dropped us off there I love these old photo's. The sad thing was I lost my father down Broom pit roof just fell in on him even though I was 18 months old I loved him and miss him dearly rite that is enough of that I can remember my mother taking to pre school on the tram from the Grey Goose pub to belle isle juniors then when I passed 5 years I had to walk to school or if mother was in a good mood she took me on the tram and I would then make my way to school. I seem to remember later on when I was around 10 I had a crush on a girl called Linda I don't remember her surname I think she had black hair I think she lived not far from the school. If only I could see her again we would not stop laughing for a week.
Where do I start?
Growing up in the Manor farms. My Grandparents in the Lanshaws Going to Belle isle Primary then Middle.. Big bus Garage in Middleton/Belle Isle Belle isle Working men’s Club-Summer trip to the Seaside with about 15 coaches My first paper round Windmill Rd paper shop. Asian guy lovely bloke gave my Dad a recipe for curry that we used to have with chips on a Saturday night.. The old Rex cinema loved it Love the place and the people, Still do, Always will We lived in that house for about 15 years. I went to Belle Isle Primary Nursery then the primary school which was at the same school. I remember having big school summer fairs on the playing field, where everyone in the neighbourhood went, all taking a picnic basket.
They had stalls there were people would sell their cakes and pies and stuff. Then I moved to Belle Isle Middle School, my memory of there is I spent most of my time camping with Mr Lord, Mr Horsfall,Mr Pettifer and Mr Pears going to places like Ravenscar, good times them . I also remember Belle Isle Middle School had an outdoor swimming pool and it were heated so guess what? that's right - every night when the school shut, over the fence we went, skinny dipping lol. There used to be a scrap yard where the old coal mine used to be, called Babbinton's scrap yard we used to spend are weekends playing in there and up at Roundhay Park . Early memory was that the field next to our house was filled with corn, This would be 1946 the year I started school at Belle Isle Juniors. Directly behind our house was the school canteen and behind that the school. The school only consisted of 6 classrooms and our teacher was Miss Taylor, Head was female but the name evades me. Remember being terrified when we waited in line for the diphtheria injection but enjoyed the spice(sweet) afterwards. School caretaker was Mr Atkinson, prior to him Mr Heslin, the boiler man was Mr Tate he was always chasing the children away, we were terrified of him. Age 6 mum called at the school to take me to see Jack and the Beanstalk in Leeds, remember being terrified of the giant. Even earlier age 4 went to the Empire to see Teddy Brown, at 30 stone he played the xylophone top the bill (catch him on you tube ) the year was 1945 he died in the same year while on tour in Birmingham
My uncle was a schoolboy, circa 1912/1917, living in the Old Village.
Belle Isle quarry was a magical playground for the children from the surrounding area. There were rocks, water and frog spawn in season and all manner of dumped articles and old equipment. The adjacent ancient terraced cottages were often the target of the visiting children's pranks. Access to the chimneys of some of these dwellings was relatively easy if you scrambled up the nearby embankment. The aim of their forays was to plop live hens down the chimneys of the unsuspecting households below. Within seconds the children's villainous efforts were rewarded by the shrieks, screams and squawks which erupted in the living rooms of the surprised families below. Uncle's gang of miscreants called themselves the "Belle Isle Chimney Sweeps" I attended Belle Isle Infants school, My first teacher was called MrsNixon, she also was a dance teacher after school Ballet and Tap.
Then Belle Isle Junior School until 10 years old then the girls and boys separated. I attended Hunslet Carr Girls secondary modern school. left school at 15 yrs. 1955 - Infants school and 1965 Hunslet Carr. |
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