Disappearing Bits and Pieces
The heritage of the ordinary
Our built heritage is all around us, not just in the architecture and the street pattern, but also in the small utilitarian objects which we tend to take for granted - the bits and pieces of the streets, yards and buildings of Leeds.
Gas lamps, cast iron corner protectors, street signs, stone channels and kerbs - these working examples of the urban fabric may be less glamourous than their more celebrated cousins, the sash window, ogee cornice and corinthian capital, but they are just as much a part of our built heritage.
A few of these items are protected - some early cast iron bollards and gas lamps are listed in their own right or attached to listed buildings. But most have no protection, and are prey to the blinkered bulldozer and the builder’s skip. If we are lucky, ignorance may leave them in a new and incongruous setting to serve as sad reminders of the past.
These examples of our heritage deserve to be remembered and retained where possible. They tell a story of the city’s past, not the recorded history of mayors and merchants, but of lamplighters, carters, and craftsmen.
This report highlights some of these bits and pieces of the past, and examines the issues involved in their future protection.