# Elmete Hall



## rikj (Dec 17, 2005)

Bequeathed to the city by its last owners Elmete Hall has most recently been used as a furniture store by the council. Chronic neglect has meant many fine features have gone. Most criminally the lack of security allowed all the huge fireplaces to be stolen. Security has now been beefed up.

It has now been sold and will be developed as offices I believe. better than demolition I guess. It's not well know even locally as it is away from any roads. The downside is it's on a working site and is connected by a walkway to live offices. Also on the same site is a special school for EBD pupils. 

Outside shots are awkward as they are limited to the side away from the live site, but this gives an idea.







One of the finest features is the domed glass roof. Apologies to any DP users who have seen this before. From the outside:






And from the inside:






Its location on a working site means that while it may have been neglected it hasn't been subjected to the casual vandalism that you might get elsewhere. Nice to find somewhere that actually has a thick layer of dust!






And the stairs:






And an idea of the interior state:






My visit was in July this year so things may have changed, don't know. Only other info is that the alarm system is Sonitrol. Tread lightly.


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## lost (Dec 17, 2005)

Wow, what a place! I love the glass dome.

It's such a shame it won't be enjoyed again.


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## krela (Dec 18, 2005)

It is a lovely place, it's a real crime that so many of our countryside estates are going to waste.


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## loopstar (Jan 23, 2006)

What a beautiful building - would be better being restored to it's original glory and converted perhaps to a hotel - function facility - imagine the wedding photo opportunities!


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## turkey (Jan 24, 2006)

That is awesome! 

you think it'll still be do-able?

turk


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## philgt (Jan 24, 2006)

thats awsome anyone up for a trip lol


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## rikj (Jan 24, 2006)

Can't say whether it's still do-able or not turk as it's a while since I went, but the latest I heard was this news article:

http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=39&ArticleID=1265548 

If work has started it can't have got too far, but I guess some of the atmosphere may have gone.

Cheers


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## turkey (Jan 25, 2006)

cheers for the info mate...

turk


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## philgt (Jan 25, 2006)

cheers for the info mate it just shows how the local council are cashing in on something given to the people of the city id like to see this proposed extension as if 21st century cardboard can merge with 18th century class


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## Elmete Rob (Mar 26, 2008)

Sorry if I have uncovered an old thread, I am just supprised to see a picture of where i grew up on this site!

My father used t be Teacher in charge of the Elmete site in the 80's/early 90's when it was run as a residential hostel for disabled children. 

It was a frankly amazing place to grow up, right on the edge of roundhay park, with acres of land and at an age where I was unaware of quite how isolated it could feel whilst still being only 4 miles from the city center.

During the week the place was full of life, council offices occupied the upper floor, the ground floor was the catering facillities and dining rooms for the hostel. Our familly living quaters were in Hammond hall opposite (the now very shabby looking 60's buiding opposite the old house) Weekends and hollidays the place was ours.. a great big adventure playground...brilliant!

My main memmories are of the circular hall way with the main staircaser and the dome. If memory serves it was the 3rd of 4 linked hallways from the main enterence. (small round ish entrance hall, square hall (dinning room to right drawing room/games room to the left, The dome hall then an oak lined hall with the 2nd staircase-shown in the pics.)

There also used to be fantasticly ornate sculpted marble fire places and door surrounds over most the doors, although i understand these were stolen... probably propping up some lottery winners walls these days.

The views from the house were stunning, clear views all the way accross the city and well beyond.

I like looking into the history of the house, and the familly that built it, and finding this site has really made my day. (im almost shaking typing this!)

I went with my father to see the house late last year, its now been done up (and split up) into new offices, not to the high standard it deserves (in my opinion), but a dang sight better than it had been.

After we left in 1991/2 the house was pretty much derilict, being used as stores only and allowed to fall into ruin ...in the typical leeds city council fashion.

Any way, that'll do for now. If any one is interested i have photos of the original plans to the house, and information of its sale in the 1900's for a princely sumn of £100,000 ...imagine the price for a property like that in roundhay these days!


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## Elmete Rob (Mar 26, 2008)

If you do have any more photo's (i realise this is an old thread but) I would love to see them!


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## smileysal (Mar 26, 2008)

WOW, that must have been amazing to live here. I love the glass dome, and the stair case, and the wood panelling. 

Cheers for telling us some of the history of the site. We'd love to hear more. and if you have any old pictures of the site when it was in use, we'd love to see them. 

And welcome to Derelict Places, hope you enjoy it here.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## Virusman26 (Mar 26, 2008)

Thanks for that info, It's a very interesting read. What an utterly wonderful looking building!!!! Great wood work and stairs, Just gutted I'll never see it!!!!


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## Elmete Rob (Mar 26, 2008)

smileysal said:


> We'd love to hear more. and if you have any old pictures of the site when it was in use, we'd love to see them.
> 
> And welcome to Derelict Places, hope you enjoy it here.
> 
> ...



I'll see what I can do, I have some external shots of my visit post the office conversion, and also some old net sourced images from leodis.net of the building in the 20's and earlier. 

Have some photographs of the sale brochure from when it was on the market in 1901 (iirc) I think I even have a picture that shows the tower that was removed early in the 1900's (was over the main door..making it 3 stories at that point).

Any photos of it when i lived there will be with my parents, but i have been meaning to have a look to see what we have.

The main thing I miss i think would be the view... It was simply unbeatable. During the day you could see over to emly moor and beyond, by night you had a superb streetlight lit city scape. Oh and when there was a thunderstorm you could see the lightening strikes for miles!

Theres loads of little bits hidden about the site, the old summer house and ice house in the woods. The stone abre, that used to stradle the original path of the driveway & the rock garden behind the house. And ive recently become suspicious that the stone trough my sister and I had as a sandpit as a child may have actually been a Roman coffin (we had always assumed it was an old horse trough...but seeing pictures of a Roman stone coffin found in york...the dimensions and look seemed to fit.. (the site had previous roman finds) and the house that stood where the hall stands now was reputed to be ontop of a roman site. 

Ofcourse after calling the Leeds museum services about our sandpit, it turns out the thing had been stolen early last year. Loaded onto a flat bed and vanished.

As a child it was always my plan to earn enough money to buy it back and look after it...some how i'll doub I'll ever see that dream come true, but the house is still a very special place to me!

Cheers for the welcome...the site is fascinating!


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## Richard Davies (Mar 26, 2008)

krela said:


> It is a lovely place, it's a real crime that so many of our countryside estates are going to waste.



Where's John Harris when we need him!?


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## King Al (Mar 27, 2008)

Cheers for the history Elmete Rob Its always nice to hear about the places we visit from the people who lived and worked there looking forward to the pics


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## Elmete Rob (Mar 27, 2008)

Some photos of old photos (from the sales documents of the early 1900's)




The round hall with the dome.




One of the rooms on the front of the house




External shot including the now removed tower. I think it was removed due to subsidence on the first small hall... I certainly remember large cracks around the entrance.

Will post more when i find more in my old files.


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## King Al (Mar 27, 2008)

Wow the Place looks really great!! the furnature is beautiful. It is horrible to think of how it has become, the owners should be ashamed


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## smileysal (Mar 27, 2008)

WOW, that round room with the staircase and dome was beautiful, love all the busts and statues around the doors. And that room at the front of the house looks amazing with all the furniture and decoration in there. 

Makes me angry to see the condition of how the owners have left the house in.

Cheers EP, 

 Sal


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## Elmete Rob (Mar 27, 2008)

The following are of my visit after the office conversion was complete...no internals im affraid..and it was taken on my mobile so not great quallity.

I was pleased to see the building back in better shape, and actually dont mind the new extension. (they removed a lot of the grotty 60's add ons that were made)









Used to get HUGE iccycles on the gutterings of the brick built parts to the left in the winter...it may have been because i was much shorter then, but you just dont seem to get iccycles as large these days.

















and the view...not shown at its best with the phone cam.









The large trees to the left in this image were strategicly planted when the house was built in order to hide the city of leeds from the landscape... However the city out grew the masking capabillities of the Beech trees.





Hard to believe it was just 3-4 miles from the center of the UK's 3rd largest city.

Thats probably all the pictures I have here, but next time im in Leeds, i'll see what my parents have documenting our lives there.

Cheers all

Rob


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## Virusman26 (Mar 27, 2008)

Great bit of family history. Thanks so much for sharing it with us! At least they seem to have done a pretty good job at re-using the building. Top work!


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## King Al (Mar 28, 2008)

It all looks so clean and tidy now


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## Foxylady (Mar 31, 2008)

Very interesting info and pics, ER...I especially liked the views you took as, for me personally, seeing the outside and the setting of buildings really rounds it out and gives them more meaning. Thanks for sharing that.


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## losrios (Mar 31, 2008)

What a wonderful building - thank you for sharing your memories and photos with us. It's good to see the building has not been demolished but wouldn't you just love to have the funds to buy the building and revert it back to it's former glory?

Welcome to DP and thanks again for your post.

Losrios


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## smileysal (Mar 31, 2008)

Oooooooooooh, it looks really grand now, and clean. It looks great. And love those views. They've done a really good job of renovating the place.

Thank you so much for putting up the latest pictures of the place. I love it.

Cheers,

 sal


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## pieman (Apr 4, 2008)

lost said:


> Wow, what a place! I love the glass dome.
> 
> It's such a shame it won't be enjoyed again.



Hi, i am a new addition to the site, i have joined because i have extensive photos of Elmete hall, now it has been re-developed. if anyone is interested in seeing them please give me a response to this message and i will up load all my images and also some infomation regarding the propertys hidden seacrets, (which can still be legaly visited, if you know where to look)


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## Foxylady (Apr 4, 2008)

pieman said:


> i will up load all my images and also some infomation regarding the propertys hidden seacrets, (which can still be legaly visited, if you know where to look)



Yes please, pieman. That would be great! 
Welcome to Derelict Places, btw.


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## rikj (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi elmete rob

Sorry not to have replied before, but haven't been here for a while. Must be strange for you to come across your old home in this way!

I've a few more photos from when it was finally empty, but only 30 or so. If you get in touch by private message on here I'll put them on a CD and send them to you if you like. They're not very good at all though. Here's some of them.

Unfortunately shortly before I visited some of the large fireplaces were stolen. I have to be careful what I say as this is the story as told to me. So only second hand. Stolen one night while security was on-site, need I say more. You know how large they were, it would take more than two people a long time to dismantle them and load them up.

Anyhow, here's a few more pics.


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## Foxylady (Apr 6, 2008)

Fabulous pics, rikj. Great to see some more of when it was derelict.


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## Elmete Rob (Apr 22, 2008)

Hi RikJ,

Aye I was aware the Fire places and door surrounds went a number of years ago. They were amazingly ornate, We must have some photos some where.

I'll send a PM a little later Id love to see the rest of the shots.

It really was in a sorry state wasnt it! Although I dont 100% approve of the refurb and the change of use (mainly the splitting it up into seperate units bit) I am very glad to see it being used and loved once more.

Now if only I could win the lottery 3 times over!


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## Elmete Rob (Apr 22, 2008)

Pieman, I'd be interested to know which hidden secrets your refering to? Im guessing the summer house, rock gardens and kitchen gardens are on the list?

To be honest it would be great to compare what we know is there, me from the memory of a 12 year old and you guys from looking around the place.

I know for fact there are rooms in the house that I had nver been into but then others I can vivedly remember.

Also being a 12 yearold boy growing up there, i spent a lot of time playing in the woods so I know alot of the related sites in there.


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## cogito (Apr 23, 2008)

That dome is unreal! Great to see the old shots from the 1900s too, its interesting to see how so much has changed and how something with such granditure can fall so far.


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## fire*fly (Apr 23, 2008)

Loved this, its great to see all the pictures, thank you for sharing


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## L3AN (Apr 23, 2008)

I need to find my photos of this place - I'll have a gander and post them if i can find them


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## madmare (Apr 23, 2008)

What a fantastic place .... while it is nice to see it being used as you say Rob I would rather it was one big house rather than lots of offices ... 

Would love to see the other pics and 'secrets'


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## freebird (Apr 23, 2008)

Wow what an ornate place. The dome and stair banisters are gorgeous. Great report well done.


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