Leeds nostalgia: The fall of Bean Ing Mills and the YPN HQ

Ah, the good old days when newspapers could sell over 100,000 copies with nary a flat-cap wearing street vendor breaking a sweat... in fact, the stated circulation of the Yorkshire Evening Post and Yorkshire Post used to be well above that.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Nov 2017, 12:03 BST
Updated 12th Dec 2017, 11:38 BST
Leeds, Wellington Street, 26th September 1970 Equipmant being moved into the new Yorkshire Post Building.Leeds, Wellington Street, 26th September 1970 Equipmant being moved into the new Yorkshire Post Building.
Leeds, Wellington Street, 26th September 1970 Equipmant being moved into the new Yorkshire Post Building.

The main picture, above, shows removals men lifting typewriters into the recently demolished Yorkshire Post Newspapers headquarters on Wellington Street just after it was built on September 26, 1970.

Of course, back then there was no internet, so people relied on newspapers to bring them information and opinion. It’s startling to think just how much the world has changed in so short a time that nowadays we strive for digital audience growth as much as print.

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The second picture was taken just a few years earlier and shows Wellington Street prior to Bean Ing Mills being demolished to make way for the Yorkshire Post. The site for the new Yorkshire Post Newspapers buildings is on the left of our picture. The name on the front of the building reads ‘Joshua Wilson and Sons Ltd’.

Leeds, Wellington Street 1967 Used YEP letters page Bean Ing Mills, site for the new Yorkshire Post Newspapers buildings is on the left of our picture. The name on the front of the building reads "Joshua Wilson and Sons Ltd." The picture was taken looking down Wellington Street .... The entrance to Westgate is on the right.Leeds, Wellington Street 1967 Used YEP letters page Bean Ing Mills, site for the new Yorkshire Post Newspapers buildings is on the left of our picture. The name on the front of the building reads "Joshua Wilson and Sons Ltd." The picture was taken looking down Wellington Street .... The entrance to Westgate is on the right.
Leeds, Wellington Street 1967 Used YEP letters page Bean Ing Mills, site for the new Yorkshire Post Newspapers buildings is on the left of our picture. The name on the front of the building reads "Joshua Wilson and Sons Ltd." The picture was taken looking down Wellington Street .... The entrance to Westgate is on the right.

The picture was taken looking down Wellington Street. The entrance to Westgate is on the right.

It dated to 1792 and was built by Benjamin Gott. It was one of the largest factories in Leeds and made blankets for British troops.

The building was expanded in 1829 but the factory drew criticism for the amount of pollution it created. Changes to the way textiles were produced in the surrounding area, with other towns competing, saw the end of Gott’s empire in about 1870.

The site is due to be transformed again soon, with plans for flats, offices and shops already passed by the council but one vestige of the old YPN will remain in the form of the clock tower.

Related topics:Yorkshire PostLeedsYorkshire Evening Post