A tattered tribute to a bygone era of Leeds beerhouses

The Roscoe pub called time in the spring 1982 ahead of making way for the Sheepscar intersection scheme.

The watering hole, the last beerhouse in the city before it acquired a spirit licence in 1976 dates from 1857 when its neighbours ranged from a chimney sweep to a register office for servants. By the early 1980s the isolated terrace on on Chapeltown Road was mainly boarded up and derelict.

Landlord Noel Squire and wife Joyce were resigned to the fate of The Roscoe which had became a favourite haunt of the city's Irish community and renowned for its impromptu musical entertainment.

He said: "Its history has been uncertain since before the last war and although no money has ever really been spent on it, there is an atmosphere and character about it rarely, if ever, seen in any of these new flashy pubs."

He added: "The regulars fought for its survival right up to the time of a public inquiry last summer."

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