# Eastmoor school Adel, Leeds. - April 09



## ermi1977 (Apr 5, 2009)

Eastmoor school in Adel, Leeds, first opened in 1857 as the Leeds Reformatory for Boys, later becoming Eastmoor Approved School.

2nd or 5th Dec 1857: certified for training 60 boys (young offenders - rarely just one offence) after the Reformatory Schools Act 1854 and Industrial Schools Act 1857. The background to this was the Industrial Revolution, creating enormous towns (later cities), with great poverty and neglected children. An industrial school had been founded in Leeds as early as 1846 for sons of those in the Workhouse - this built upon the same lines. Adel was not part of Leeds until the mid-1920's so the fact it was built here presupposes the land was made available by a sympathiser and the natural surroundings, fresh air and distance from temptation would have appealed to the Victorians. Ages varied at first - as young as 8. Many came via the Quarter Sessions at Wakefield where they would be given sentences of say 3/6months - the first is the prison and the second at Adel.

1859 - the 42 boys built shoemaker, joiner, blacksmith shops of local stone and a cowhouse, sty, stable and cartshed plus roads, and the courtyard. Two acres of land were drained, three acres broken up and prepared for crops - oats, potatoes, turnips and garden produce. Barren moorland was enclosed and made fertile and trees were planted. In the process of cultivating the land, many fine specimens of flint arrow heads from Stone age period were found, now in the Discovery Centre, Leeds.

The buildings give an idea of the occupations that the boys were being trained in - not forgetting the building trade itself. The boys made furniture for their own use and for other schools, shoes for themselves and for sale and grew flowers and vegetables for Leeds Market. By1892 boys were training to be tailors, shoemakers, joiners and we are told that two boys do all the baking. On leaving several worked with neighbouring farmers and many were on licence in the fishing smacks of Grimsby. The heated pool was there by July 1900 as the Mayor is treated to a swimming exhibition and drilling in parade. Many leavers entered the army - they were used to communal living and obeying rules. (Much of this from Don Cole).

1882: Datestone of chapel

1917: 2460 boys have passed through since it started - an AGM held in the Town Hall & reported by a local paper. In the last 3 years, 151 boys have left - (2 gained DCM), 100 in army, 5 in Navy, 3 k.i.a., 4 died from wounds, 4 from sickness, 21 invalided.

1962: about 121 boys, between 15 & 17. min legal stay is 6 months the longest 3 years...but no-one has spent as little or as long there. Painting, cooking and building are main occupations with work experience with local firms.

1972: Ceases to be an approved school - a community home.

1990's: Secure unit built nearby and Eastmoor used as accommodation for Leeds Metropolitan University students.

200? - present: Leeds City Council in the process of selling it for housing to Barretts.

Buildings on the site include staff housing and a laundry, as well as residential and education blocks, one of which was used to film a fire scene for ITV1 hospital drama The Royal.












































































































Cheers for looking.


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## mexico75 (Apr 6, 2009)

Nice pic's, I love that place but where the hell is that Bar? I've been three times and never found that That Trespass sign is new to. Did you not find the pool?


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## ermi1977 (Apr 7, 2009)

Hi Mexico. The Bar is upstairs in the old building around the courtyard, as for the Pool I guess its in the building off to one side with the chimney and large boilers, it was pretty well sealed so we couldn't get in same with the church.


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## noodles88 (Apr 7, 2009)

Great pictures  Have had a trip round there recently too! Got into the pool though which was a bonus...but never found the dentist chair


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## 02006 (Apr 15, 2009)

Hey great photos 
i went about a month ago and could only get into the church 
are all the buildings pretty much all sealed?


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## inveigh (May 10, 2009)

Went there this weekend with the bloke. Not gonna post pics up as you have seen them all before and I don't want to bore you , but for those who have been did you feel the weird vibe in the courtyard or what???

We made our way to the courtyard through another building and my boyfriend freaked out in this building and ran to get out! He told me he felt like someone was telling him to get out! He had no prior knowledge of this place as I didn't tell him about all the weird vibes. He is also not one to believe in all that! But it really shook him up!

After much coaxing we made our way back to the courtyard, and heard the loudest banging coming from the buildings across. It was every time we set foot on the courtyard! Maybe there was some other explorers trying to creep us out, but we did not see a soul apart from 2 cyclists and a fox! 

So yeah, we didn't grow big enough bollocks to venture into that bit. Shame. Just said to him that we need to go again, and he said that he never wants to set foot there again! 

Thanks for reading!


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## cstevens (Jul 2, 2009)

Looks like a great place....although the courtyard is freeking me a bit now lol.

Not sure how far this is from sunny Worksop, bit of a drive I guess.


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## mexico75 (Jul 2, 2009)

It's not worth the trip, this used to be one of the most secure sites in Leeds with regular patrols, nosey neighbours and regular re-boarding. In the last couple of months the council seem to have given up responsibility for it and stopped re-sealing it, hence it becoming a real tourist site recently. Because of this it's been set on fire twice in the last month, the pikeys have been forraging for metal and everything worth seeing has been smashed or stolen including the dentist chair which has dissappeared


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## AnnieMc (Jul 18, 2009)

I was a first year Leeds University student in 2003, and was part of the last group of students who lived at Eastmoor. This was only until about November of the academic year - we were dumped here because our new halls in Headingley weren't built in time for the new term.

It's so run down now, it doesn't seem that long ago since we lived there. Even then it was in a bit of a state, and it was annoying being so far from uni and student social life (although I remember a good halloween pissup in that bar ). Most of the old school was closed down at the time as well as a few nearby buildings, we broke in and had a poke round ourselves.

Thanks for this, I wouldn't mind going back for a look myself.


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## Potter (Jul 18, 2009)

Fantastic!

Love the dentists.

I wonder why somebody has now taken the chair?


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## mexico75 (Jul 19, 2009)

To sit on


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