Leeds nostalgia: Lights go dim for gas lamps in Leeds

Well, if it was August 1970, it was the beginning of the end for gas street lighting in Leeds.

The picture was taken in an alleyway between Albion Place and Commercial Street, the article said it would soon go out forever.

Gas lamps were first introduced to Leeds on May 19, 1819, replacing oil-lit street lighting. The Leeds Gas Light Company was incorporated in the same year.

The city’s 24,000 gas lamps were phased out in the 1960s and 1970s and replaced with cheaper electric ones but some lamps still remain and many are listed structures, including those at Ship Yard, Bay Horse Yard, Change Alley, Minor and Scurr’s Yard, Albion Place and Queen Square.

Leeds Council still keeps a small number of gas lamps lit, including several in Park Square.