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Oakwood Church Leeds
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To the left of Gledhow by its junction with Roundhay Road stands a pair of stone semi-detached houses. Built in the latter half of the 1800s before the shops existed, one of these houses is called Woodland Cottage. The basement was used as a doctors’ surgery replaced by the new Oakwood Surgery constructed at the site of the Lax brothers former builders yard on Gledhow Rise, behind the supermarket
These stone semi-detached houses were built later than Woodlands, the large house at the top of the hill situated just before Gledhow Lane turns sharp left, which appears on the 1847 surveyed Ordnance Survey map. They are not shown on the 1871 Hepper Sale maps for the auction where Barran bought two lots including Roundhay Park but they do appear on the 1891/2 Ordnance Survey map
The large stone building on Roundhay Road by its junction with Oakwood Lane is now estate agent William H Brown. It was
previously a pair of semi-detached houses. Later it became very important as Oakwood Post Office, fronted by a pair of red Telephone kiosks. From 1962 to 1991 it was a branch of Lloyds Bank
From 1917 until 2005 the Bathstore premises was occupied by
Jones of Oakwood, a popular electrical appliance retailer
This block of three buildings now occupied by Bathstore and Johnsons comprised the first four shops, complete with houses and stables, built in 1893/94 by the Hudson family on Oakwood House land; their ‘Oakwood Building Estate’. An 1894 Trade Directory lists a baker, confectioner, grocer and butcher
More Local History
Oakwood Church Leeds
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Tricia Ryan “In the middle of The Parade was Mrs Smiddy’s shop. She sold anything you can think of to do with sewing and haberdashery and women’s
clothing... piled up (with) stuff all over the place. There was a very nice old grocer’s shop, Holmes it was called, and it was the sort of grocers where they used to cut the butter off a big slab...and cut bacon with a bacon slicer...and racks of biscuits...you didn’t buy biscuits in packets in those days.”
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The lower terrace was gradually extended building by building down Roundhay Road until the last plot where Rico’s Restaurant stands was sold in 1900, though it was a few years before this unusual building was erected
The first floor above Rico’s, which was accessed from a door on Oakwood Boundary Road, has been occupied by a Gentleman’s Club, Joan Peacock a dancing teacher (a sure sign of local affluence) and a Wrestling gymnasium
By 1900 a single shop, now ‘Tasty’, was built in the space between the first four shops and the former Post Office. It was first in the upper section which was completed by 1903. This first building was adorned with extraordinarily ornate rainwater header tanks and fall pipes which survived from 1903 until 2014
Individual building designs with ornate stone fronts are an attractive feature of ‘Oakwood Parade’
In 1898 Thomas Preston, who was a prosperous grocer from Chapel Allerton, built Preston and the shop next door to it, now occupied by City Stationers. Thomas’ son Thomas Issott Preston had trained to become a Chemist (pharmacist). He occupied the Preston shop for three decades
Thomas senior, who died in 1902, paid for the date his son’s shop was constructed and their initials to be carved in stone high up on the gable end. The inscription reads ‘18TP98’. He also had their surname proudly picked out in mosaic tiles on the floor at the entrance. The shop is now a popular local bar called, very simply,
appropriately and respectfully, Preston
Compare the pride, confidence and opulence evidenced in these personalised buildings with the 1960s Parade and the 1925 shops opposite Oakwood Parade which originally had accommodation over and gardens to the rear. Their gardens are now used as car parking for offices that inhabit what used to be the shopkeepers’ living quarters
Oakwood’s famous Fish Bar has featured in several films and TV Programmes. It is Grade II Listed because of its Art Deco frontage of black panels, chrome and glass, Oakwood Fish Bar has been selling fish and chips since 1934
Next door to the Fish Bar there is an Indian restaurant called the Nawaab Khan. Its site was previously a Garage owned by the father of Steve Webster, who is the current owner of the Fish Bar.
The Garage extended onto the site of what used to be the end shop that originally made up Oakwood’s unique parade of shops. You can see where the stonework has been crudely cut. It was demolished, seemingly because of subsidence caused by pre-1803 quarrying on its site
This grandly designed supermarket building opposite opposite Oakwood Boundary Road was originally constructed as a local Co-operative shop. The retail area has been greatly extended over the years and its upper storey converted to offices. It enjoyed a number of other owners, including Safeway and Somerfield,
before again becoming a Co-operative food shop in about 2010
Finally, the ‘modern’ 1960s Shopping Parade below Oakwood Mount replaced a large BMC (British Motor Corporation) car dealer called Barkers
They are typical of a great many buildings constructed at that time and their questionable architectural merit
Perhaps they serve best as a warning to maintain vigilance over local planning applications?
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Stephen Webster “We are an original business and the frontage and interior decor is listed for its historical design. Art Nouveau, jazz modern style was how it was put in its listing.”
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John Harrison “The one I went to most was the Co-op... my mother used to get an order on a Wednesday, which was delivered, and she used to send me down on a Saturday morning, this was when I was eight or nine, to pay for it. I always paid in new ten shilling notes... which was a bit unusual. They called me The Colonel for some reason. I would also get my dad’s cigarettes, which probably was illegal even then, and then I’d go to the butchers next door.”
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Rowland Jones “Other loyal customers of Jones of Oakwood were Colonel and Mrs Tetley of Tetley's Brewery, they lived down North Lane. In 1952 Colonel Tetley was Lord Mayor of Leeds and, it was the custom each year, they hosted a reception at the Civic Hall for friends and their trades people. I remember attending along with their joiner, their decorator, their postman, dustman, chimney sweep and the local road sweeper, believe it or not."
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