I’ve spent the last four months, on and off, photographing the Cross Green/East End Park/Richmond Hill area of Leeds LS9, and am now preparing my exhibition, of which a small sample is below. The quality of the photographs is for others to decide but, even if they fall short, I have had such great pleasure photographing the people and places of this special part of Leeds. Here are the dates, times and location of the exhibition:
Fri 6 Sept 10:00 – 16:00
Sat 7 Sept 10:00 – 1600
Sun 8 Sept 12:00 – 16:00
Wed 11 Sept 13:30 – 16:00 (note change of time)
Fri 13 Sept 10:00 – 16:00 Cancelled
Sat 14 Sept 11:00 – 16:00
Sun 15 Sept 12:00 – 16:00
St Hilda’s Church, Cross Green Lane, LEEDS LS9 0DG
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There were three inspirations for this exhibition:
Firstly, working and living in the area: I did voluntary work round these streets between 1988 and 1993, then lived in Cross Green in 1992 and 1993, then in East End Park in 1994-5; you can see some photos from that time here
Secondly, opinions I’d read on social media about the area, which prompted me to spend time here and decide for myself whether the area is different to how it was thirty years ago (answer: some things have changed, some have remained the same;)
Thirdly, the photos of Marc Riboud: a French photographer, Riboud spent six weeks in Leeds in 1954 and, whilst he didn’t (to my knowledge) photograph east of York Road, he did work in the Burmantofts area, and many other parts of Leeds. You can borrow his book “A Lasting Moment: Marc Riboud Photographs Leeds” from Leeds Libraries.
About me: Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, I first visited Leeds in about 1984 when I was 17, to visit the university. By the time I’d walked there from the train station, I knew Leeds was the place I wanted to be, and I’ve been in West Yorkshire ever since. There’s no place like Leeds.
Thank you for sharing
Will try to come
Let me know if you do, and I’ll try to be there.
What a brilliant idea. It would be great if this was done annually or every couple of years to document the changes / fashions in the area as they develop.
Yes, that would be good. Part of my reason for starting this series of photographs was to see how the area has changed since I lived there: the most obvious change is the closure of almost all of the dozen or so pubs there used to be in this small part of Leeds; in other ways, the area feels just as it did in the late 80s/early 90s.
Another inspiration for these photographs were the photos of Leeds taken in 1954 by French photographer and member of Magnum Marc Riboud.
hi I was brought up around east end park from 1958 till around 2000 I would love to see your exhibition but I’m now in Australia I have many fond memories I lived in Ascot Terrace no 76 and 58 east Park Road if there is anything you need to know around them dates send me a email
Hello, Geoff – I intend to put the exhibition online at some point, so hopefully you’ll see it then.
Wonderful, people make places, you’ve captured a warmth that exists despite the hardships.
Thank you for your kind words, Andrew.