Sadly the demise of the pub stock in the Leeds Metropolitan area continues apace. Around 70 of the 503 remaining pubs are currently closed and many others are under threat. Some closures will be temporary, but as they re- open others will close.

Many of the closed pubs are boarded up and starting to look derelict and the fear is that once the property market starts to pick up again these will either be demolished or converted to other uses such as flats or shops. Some examples are highlighted below.

The Travellers in Halton has been demolished and another much needed supermarket is to be built on the site. It is only a few years since the Irwin Arms just down the road was demolished again to be replaced by a supermarket and this just leaves the Woodman as the only watering hole for the residents of this part of Halton. They have plenty of supermarkets, however.

The Wise Owl

In Armley there is a sad litany of closed pubs. On Town Street both the Barleycorn and Royal Hotel are boarded up. Three pubs in a row are closed down on Armley Road; the Nelson has been up for sale for many months, the Golden Lion has been closed for several years and the Rose and Crown is now an electrical wholesale shop. Down in Wortley the White Rose has been breeze-blocked up from the inside (we can only hope the person doing it got out!) and the Crown on Tong Road was also closed at the time of writing. The Wheatsheaf on Gelderd Road has also been closed for a couple of years.

Over in Sheepscar, Leeds CAMRA has been fighting an unsuccessful campaign to preserve the White Stag, which is on CAMRA’s Regional Inventory for pubs with historical interiors and it now looks as if it will be demolished and replaced by a warehouse for a Chinese supermarket. To the north in Chapel Allerton the Shoulder of Mutton is now being used as a taxi office.

Meanwhile in Kirkstall the George IV has been closed for a number of years and round the corner the future of the Kirkstall Lites is unlikely to be as a pub; boarding has been put up surrounding the premises, often a sign of demolition to come. In Woodhouse the Swan with Two Necks is being converted to flats and up in Ireland Wood the Wise Owl has been demolished to make way for a health centre.

The Swan with Two Necks, Woodhouse

The campaign to save the Summercross in Otley has been previously been highlighted in New Full Measure; planning permission has been granted for a care home, but no work has yet been seen on the site. The campaign continues, see www.sosotley.org.uk for details. Elsewhere in Otley both the Bowling Green and Woolpack have been closed for a long time and several other pubs are under threat. The Fleece and the Cross Pipes are both currently closed, their future uncertain.

From a pub preservation point of view there is currently much concern with regard to the future of the Rising Sun on Kirkstall Road. This is closed at the time of writing and has a fine example of an intact Victorian interior. It is listed on CAMRA’s National Inventory of historic pub interiors.

Many other pubs are under threat and CAMRA will attempt to preserve as many as possible, but it is a huge task. Please use your local pub if you want it to stay open.