Elmete Hall

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.

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

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

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

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!

That is awesome!

you think it'll still be do-able?

turk

thats awsome anyone up for a trip lol

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

cheers for the info mate...

turk

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

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!

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

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

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!!!!

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.

Cheers,

Sal

Click to expand...

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!

krela said:

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

Click to expand...

Where's John Harris when we need him!?

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.

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

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