Changing Leeds - Why a Queens Hotel clean up meant a black mark for British Rail

A clean up at the Queens Hotel in Leeds city centre meant a black mark for British Rail in the mid-1980s.
By Andrew Hutchinson
Published 13th Nov 2020, 06:00 BST
Updated 18th Nov 2020, 08:07 BST
Work was nearing completion on a major facelift to the frontage of the The Queens Hotel, causing a striking contrast with the next door British Rail offices.Work was nearing completion on a major facelift to the frontage of the The Queens Hotel, causing a striking contrast with the next door British Rail offices.
Work was nearing completion on a major facelift to the frontage of the The Queens Hotel, causing a striking contrast with the next door British Rail offices.

Work was nearing completion on a major facelift to the frontage of the hotel in November 1984 leaving it gleeming and white again after losing 15 years of grime.

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This caused a striking contrast with the next door British Rail offices which were still as black as ever despite being part of the same building.

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Your YEP wondered whether British Rail was going to be the black sheep of that part of City Square.

"We will be carrying out work, at a cost of about £3,000 to clean the frontage of the offices and we will be doing it as soon as we can," said a British Rail spokesman at the time.

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Related topics:LeedsQueens HotelWorkYorkshire Evening Post

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