Remembering Leeds - Armley jail from the air

The photo dates back to 1937 when it was built as Leeds Borough Gaol and completed in July 1847 at a cost of £43,000.

Built from locally quarried stone, the prison originally had four wings radiating from a central point in a Victorian architectural style - known as 'radial' - typical of the time.

The 'castle style' entrance range of the building and the 200 metres of perimeter wall received a Grade II heritage listing in 1976.

The road from top to bottom across the centre is Hall Lane and New Wortley Cemetery is at the left edge from the middle to the top.

The prison is surrounded by a high wall and within the boundaries there is an exercise yard. Inmates can be seen walking the circular paths. The rows of terraced houses, bottom left, are Hawthorn Place and Hawthorn Terrace. Behind the prison Winchester Road runs from the junction with Hall Lane.

The photo is one of the top 50 most viewed images on 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.

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