A group of three schoolgirls in the playground of Burton House, playing near an area marked out for games of Hopscotch. In the background, a terraced street of red brick back-to-back houses situated off Burton Avenue is seen. This is the even-numbered side of Fairford Avenue.placeholder image
A group of three schoolgirls in the playground of Burton House, playing near an area marked out for games of Hopscotch. In the background, a terraced street of red brick back-to-back houses situated off Burton Avenue is seen. This is the even-numbered side of Fairford Avenue. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

South Leeds: 12 humble photos take you back to Hunslet in the 1950s

Andrew Hutchinson
By Andrew Hutchinson

Specialist Reporter

Published 14th Mar 2025, 11:55 GMT

This gallery charting a decade in the life of Hunslet starts with a game of hopscotch in a school playground.

The fphoto was taken at Burton House – purchased by the council in 1919 and renovated to become an annex to Hunslet Moor Council School – and is one of 12 showcasing life around the suburb in the 1950s. Other highlights include the Railway Hotel and Midgley's bakers. The images are a mix from West Yorkshire Archive Service and others published courtesy of photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. READ MORE: Memories of lost Leeds pubs in Hunslet, Belle Isle, Middleton and Stourton LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia

Looking across Balm Road towards the Railway Hotel in October 1950. To the left can be seen the end of Hardwick Place; the last house having been demolished revealing chimney flues with bricked up fireplaces, interior walls, floor levels and wooden eves. To the centre, partially obscured is the Railway Hotel, beyond which are the back-to-back houses of Balm Street. An advertisement for Lux is on the end house. To the far left, a shop on the end of Wright Street.

13. Hunslet in the 1950s

Looking across Balm Road towards the Railway Hotel in October 1950. To the left can be seen the end of Hardwick Place; the last house having been demolished revealing chimney flues with bricked up fireplaces, interior walls, floor levels and wooden eves. To the centre, partially obscured is the Railway Hotel, beyond which are the back-to-back houses of Balm Street. An advertisement for Lux is on the end house. To the far left, a shop on the end of Wright Street. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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Share your memories of Hunslet in the 1950s with Andrew Hutchinson via email at: andrew.hutchinson@jpress.co.uk or tweet him - @AndyHutchYPN

14. Enjoyed this gallery?

Share your memories of Hunslet in the 1950s with Andrew Hutchinson via email at: [email protected] or tweet him - @AndyHutchYPN | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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