Leeds community set for trip down memory lane at former fire station

The Gipton-based Old Fire Station building is today home to a wide range of third sector tenants, including Leeds Cookery school and Slate cafe, who provide training and employment for people with learning disabilities.

But it also has a long and proud past as an operational fire station, with firefighters having worked out of the Gipton Approach site for nearly 80 years.

And on Saturday, September 15, it will be celebrating its history by hosting a series of heritage tours.

The free hour-long tours of the building will be led by retired Gipton firefighters and are taking place at 3pm, 5pm and 6pm.

The same day will also see screenings at the hub of a new film called The Firefighters’ Story at 4pm and 7pm.

Tracing the evolution of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) since its inception at the end of the First World War, the screenings will be followed by a question-and-answer session with FBU members, historians and former Gipton firefighters.

Tickets for the screenings are priced £2 and can be purchased from eventbrite.co.uk, with proceeds going to support the work of the Old Fire Station.

A spokesperson for the Old Fire Station said: “Come and explore our wonderful building to discover more of its fascinating history and find out about all the activities happening here now.”

Gipton Fire Station opened in 1937 and was the oldest operational fire station in the city prior to its closure in 2015.

The building reopened in 2017 following a transformation led by the Leeds Community Foundation charity and backed by a fund set up in memory of the late Leeds philanthropist Jimi Heselden.