Swinegate Depot - Memories of Leeds City Tramways headquarters

Swinegate Depot on Sovereign Street was the headquarters of Leeds City Tramways for more than half a century.

This first photo traces its roots back to the First World War. In July 1914 a new car shed was erected here to cope with the extension of the tramway system and the large additions to the fleet. However, the Swinegate depot was soon requisitioned by the war department for use as a recruiting office. Later in the war it was taken over again, this time to use as a clothing store.

By 1916, Leeds had 114 miles of track and in general it proved to be a highly efficient form of transport, which was liked by the public. In 1933, 476 trams were operating in the city across 124 miles of track. This represented the peak of the industry, however, which went into slow but steady decline after the war.

In 1945, it was estimated that over 238 million passengers were using trams annually. Part of the reason for their demise was the advent of cheap petrol and the fact buses were heavily promoted as being far more versatile and able to deviate from pre-designated routes.

The second photo shows tram number 199 entering the Swinegate Depot in September 1954.

The last tram in Leeds ran on November 7, 1959. It was the number 178, which reached the Swinegate Depot to find crowds of people gathered on either side of the tracks. Some places coins on the tracks so the tram would press them.

In May 1961, after three weeks culminating in an "amazing transformation" the depot re-opened as a new exhibition hall known as the Queens Hall. It was said to be the biggest exhibition space outside London. The refurbishment cost £40,000 and the hall acquired 100,000 square feet of floor space.

Both photos are 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.

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