Queens Hall, Leeds

Last updated

Queens Hall
Queens Hall, Leeds (1981).jpeg
Queens Hall in 1981, seen before demolition
Queens Hall, Leeds
Former namesSwinegate Tram Depot
Location Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Coordinates 53°47′38″N1°32′37″W / 53.7940°N 1.5436°W / 53.7940; -1.5436
Owner Leeds Corporation Tramways
Capacity 5,000
Construction
OpenedMay 1961
Closed1989
Demolished1989

Queens Hall was a concert and exhibition venue located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was originally a tram and then a bus depot and had latterly become a venue hosting events such as the Ideal Home Exhibition and the 1981, 1982, 1988 and 1989 Great British Beer Festival, [1] flea markets, travelling fairs and concerts.

Contents

History

Multi-storey car park on the former site of Queens Hall Queens Hall car park Leeds 019.jpg
Multi-storey car park on the former site of Queens Hall

The building was originally constructed at the turn of the 20th century and was known as Swinegate Tram Depot. [2] The hall was refurbished as a music venue in 1961 and was a popular venue amongst students and the townspeople of Leeds with a capacity for 5,000 people. [3] The very first event to be held there was the Yorkshire Ideal Home & Food Exhibition (5–20 May 1961), sponsored by The Yorkshire Post . [4]

Over the years, the Queens Hall had been as a venue for popular music. Motörhead complained about the acoustics, and it was uncomfortably cold in winter, with ice forming on the retained tramlines. As far back as the 1980s there was talk of an arena for Leeds and by that time the Queens Hall was in need of extensive modernisation to bring it up to an acceptable standard. The Queens Hall was demolished in 1989 and the site is now mostly used as a surface level car park, [5] with redevelopment taking place on part of the site for a multi-storey car park with ground floor restaurant and an office building for BT. Construction work to add two additional storeys to the Criterion Place multi-storey car park began in July 2008.

The Leeds Arena, opened in 2013, became a new concert venue in the city.

Redevelopment

Proposals for the redevelopment of the rest of the former Queens Hall site have been ongoing since the 1990s, with failed proposals including those from 1995 for an office building designed by Norman Foster for Royal London Insurance and a latter proposal in 2004 for two skyscrapers to be named Criterion Place designed by SimpsonHaugh and Partners to be developed by Simons Estates. Neither of these proposals came to fruition but plans to complete the redevelopment of the former Queens Hall site were realised in 2015 when new business premises called Sovereign Square were built on the site. [6]

Performers

Bands and musicians to have performed at the Queens Hall have included the following acts:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elland Road</span> Football stadium in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Championship club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunslet</span> Suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Hunslet is an inner-city suburb in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little London, Leeds</span> Area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Little London is a residential area of Leeds in England, north of the city centre and Leeds Inner Ring Road. It is so called because in the 19th century it had fashionable housing and interesting architecture comparable to London. In the 1950s and '60s it became largely council housing and now consists of a mixture of high and low-rise flats and housing. The area falls within the Little London and Woodhouse ward of the City of Leeds Council. The area is divided into four estates; Lovell Park, Oatlands, Carlton and the Servias.

Expo Hall is an indoor arena located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. It is used primarily as an exhibition hall during the Florida State Fair, but has also hosted concerts and sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Arena</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in England

The Utilita Arena Newcastle is a large indoor arena in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Owned and operated by The LA Fund and sponsored by Utilita Energy, it hosts music, entertainment, sports and business events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earls Court Exhibition Centre</span> Venue in London, England

Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue in London, England. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, originally opened in 1887, with an art moderne structure built between 1935 and 1937 by specialist American architect C. Howard Crane. With the active support of London mayor Boris Johnson, in an attempt to create Europe's "largest regeneration scheme", its proposed heritage listing was refused after it was acquired by developers, who promptly in 2008 applied for and were granted a Certificate of Immunity from Listing by English Heritage, and its demolition was completed in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Arena</span> Former indoor arena in London, England

The London Arena was an indoor arena and exhibition centre in Millwall, close to Cubitt Town area of Poplar, on the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England which was inaugurated in 1989 and demolished for housing in 2006. Seating capacity was up to 15,000, depending on the type of event held. It was the home of the London Knights ice hockey team, the London Towers basketball team and later the Greater London Leopards basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briggate</span>

Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many historic buildings, including the oldest in the city, and others from the 19th and early-20th century, including two theatres. It is noted for the yards between some older buildings with alleyways giving access and Victorian shopping arcades, which were restored in late 20th century. The street was pedestrianised in the late-20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre</span>

The Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre was a large exhibition and conference complex, in the suburb of Bridge of Don, in Aberdeen, Scotland. The complex is home to a Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotel, conference facilities and multi-purpose arena which hosted concerts and local sporting events, including the Aberdeen Cup tennis event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criterion Place</span> Building in Leeds, England

Criterion Place was a proposed skyscraper development in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. In July 2008 it was announced that the project is to be cancelled owing to the property market slump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Corporation Tramways</span>

Leeds Corporation Tramways formerly served the city of Leeds, England. The original trams were horse-drawn, but the city introduced Britain's first overhead-powered electric trams in 1891, and by 1901, electrification had been completed. The tramway opened on 29 October 1891.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Leeds</span> Buildings of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

The architecture of Leeds, a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, encompasses a wide range of architectural styles and notable buildings. As with most northern industrial centres, much of Leeds' prominent architecture is of the Victorian era. However, the City of Leeds also contains buildings from as early as the Middle Ages such as Kirkstall Abbey, one of Britain's best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries, as well as examples of 20th century industrial architecture, particularly in the districts of Hunslet and Holbeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Arena</span> Indoor arena in Leeds, England

The Leeds Arena is an entertainment-focused indoor arena located in the Arena Quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the first in the United Kingdom to have a fan-shaped orientation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mecca Leisure Group</span>

Mecca Leisure Group was a British business that ran nightclubs, hotels, theme parks, bingo parlours and Hard Rock Cafes. During the 1960s, Mecca was a centre of entertainment with numerous nightclubs throughout major United Kingdom towns and cities. Mecca ballrooms were used for the BBC TV show Come Dancing. Eric Morley was a general manager of dancing at Mecca Leisure Group and was involved in the Miss World competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munro House</span>

Munro House is a building in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated at the corner of Duke Street and York Street.

YTL Arena Bristol is a proposed 19,000-capacity indoor arena, to be located at the former Filton Airfield’s Brabazon hangar.

LGBT culture in Leeds, England, involves an active community of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender/transsexual. A BBC News Online article published in 2012 stated that, while Leeds City Council has not published statistics relating to the number of LGBT residents, the figure can be estimated at 10% of the overall population, which currently suggests a total of at least 77,000. The tenth year of the Leeds Pride march and celebration, held in 2016, was attended by over 40,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P&J Live</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Bucksburn, Aberdeen, Scotland

P&J Live is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the suburb of Bucksburn, in Aberdeen in Scotland. Opened in August 2019, it offers a capacity for all types of shows and events from 5,000 to 15,000. Replacing the former Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), the 10,000-seat arena is used for concerts and other events. It is the largest indoor arena in Scotland, and the fifth largest arena in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "BBC - Former Queen's Hall site consultation is open". BBC News. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. Tramways, Leeds. "Swinegate Depot, Headquarters of Leeds City Tramways". leodis.net. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (25 July 2013). "Rousing Bruce Springsteen puts new Leeds Arena to the test". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  4. Tramways, Leeds. "Swinegate Depot, Headquarters of Leeds City Tramways". leodis.net. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  5. "BBC - Were you at Pink Floyd and Cream's freakout in Leeds?". BBC News. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  6. "Major law firm signs lease for new home in the heart of Leeds". Yorkshire Post. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Miller, Alex (22 July 2015). "10 legendary Leeds music venues of the past". WOW247. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  8. "Queens Hall, Leeds, England Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  9. "Leeds: Queens Hall - The Police Official Blog". The Police Official Website. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. "Queen's Hall - Leeds | rocktourdatabase.com". rocktourdatabase.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.