Kirkgate in April 1983. The Precinct public house is on the left followed by Home Charm. Next to this is the entrance to Club Damien night club, which occupies the floor above. Thrifty, Clothes for the Family, due to be opened on the following day. On the right is Hagenbach bakers at no.18. The pedestrianised street in front is busy with shoppers.Kirkgate in April 1983. The Precinct public house is on the left followed by Home Charm. Next to this is the entrance to Club Damien night club, which occupies the floor above. Thrifty, Clothes for the Family, due to be opened on the following day. On the right is Hagenbach bakers at no.18. The pedestrianised street in front is busy with shoppers.
Kirkgate in April 1983. The Precinct public house is on the left followed by Home Charm. Next to this is the entrance to Club Damien night club, which occupies the floor above. Thrifty, Clothes for the Family, due to be opened on the following day. On the right is Hagenbach bakers at no.18. The pedestrianised street in front is busy with shoppers.

33 of the best photos take you back to Leeds in 1983

Andrew Hutchinson
By Andrew Hutchinson
Published 5th Feb 2024, 04:45 BST

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These wonderful photos celebrate a year in the life of your Leeds and its residents in the early 1980s.

They chart a course to showcase life around the city in 1983, a year remembered for the BBC TV ending the Good Old Days at the City Varieties after three decades. It was also a 12 months which featured the closure of Leeds Maternity Hospital which had been the birthplace of generations of Leeds folk. The images are a mix from the YEP archive and others published courtesy of photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. They also run heritage blog The Secret Library Leeds, which provides a behind the scenes look at the Central Library and highlights from its special collections, including rare books hidden away in the stacks. READ MORE: 26 Leeds shops you visited during the 1980s from the city centre to the suburbs LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook

Ron Smith, whose quest for the truth over what happened to his daughter Helen, who died in Jeddah in 1979, resulted in a 15-day inquest in Leeds.

31. Yeadon

Ron Smith, whose quest for the truth over what happened to his daughter Helen, who died in Jeddah in 1979, resulted in a 15-day inquest in Leeds. Photo: YPN

Photo Sales
Motorists were ignoring new bus lane rules between Portland Crescent and Blackman Lane in September 1983.

32. Woodhouse

Motorists were ignoring new bus lane rules between Portland Crescent and Blackman Lane in September 1983. Photo: Ernest Brook

Photo Sales
Shops on Main Street pictured in December 1983.

33. Garforth

Shops on Main Street pictured in December 1983. Photo: YPN