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Headingley Bear Pit

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Coordinates: 53°48′55″N 1°34′33″W / 53.8152°N 1.5757°W / 53.8152; -1.5757
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Headingley Bear Pit
LocationCardigan Road, Headingley, Leeds, England
Coordinates53°48′55″N 1°34′33″W / 53.8152°N 1.5757°W / 53.8152; -1.5757
ArchitectWilliam Billington, Edward Davies
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameThe Old Bear Pit
Headingley Bear Pit is located in West Yorkshire
Headingley Bear Pit
Location of Headingley Bear Pit in West Yorkshire

Headingley Bear Pit is a Grade II listed building (officially listed as The Old Bear Pit) in Headingley, Leeds, England.[1] It was formerly part of Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens, which closed in 1858.[2]

19th century

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The Victorian structure, a sham castle facade constructed of rock-faced masonry, consists of two circular castellated turrets with round-arched entrances, linked by a wall with a gateway. On the inside, the circular bear pit is brick-lined and is linked to the facing by two tunnels. The bear was viewed by visitors by climbing spiral steps to the tops of the turrets.[1] Metal railings would have been fixed around the pit, and the bear also had a wooden pole to climb up to be fed sandwiches and buns. The zoo had some smaller cages containing birds, tortoises and monkeys, but the bear pit was the only live animal exhibit.[3] Bear-baiting had recently been outlawed by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835, so they were kept only for display and scientific study.[4][5]

20th century

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Purchase and restoration of the Bear Pit was one of the first acts of the Leeds Civic Trust, established in 1965.[6] It was purchased for £128 in 1966 and restored at a cost of £1,000 by 1968.[7][8]

The Bear Pit is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II listed building, having been designated on 5 August 1976.[1] Grade II is the lowest of the three grades of listing, and is applied to "buildings that are nationally important and of special interest".[9]

Inside the overgrown circular pit which contained the bear

In 1983, the Civic Trust applied for planning permission to turn the Bear Pit into an open-air theatre, but this proposal was withdrawn.[10] In 2016, the Trust undertook major rubbish clearance and Japanese knotweed treatment.[11]

21st century

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In 2023, it was announced that the Civic Trust planned to restore the structure and open it to the public. The charity said it planned to spend about £100,000 on the project.[12]

In June 2024, The Yorkshire Post reported that the pit was set to open later that summer after its "extensive" restoration.[13]

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In 1986, the gothic rock band The Mission, which formed in Leeds, had their first photo shoot at the Bear Pit.[14] In September 2024, the band returned for a new photo shoot, having accepted an invitation to recreate the photo.[15]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bear Pit, Headingley.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Historic England. "The Old Bear Pit (1255678)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. ^ Bradford, Eveleigh (February 2014). "They Lived in Leeds: Tommy Clapham (1817–1895)". North Leeds Life. p. 8. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. ^ Johnson, Kristian (22 March 2020). "The crumbling bear pit that still stands on the site of ancient 200 year old Leeds zoo". Leeds Live. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. ^ "1835: 5 & 6 William 4 c.59: Cruelty to Animals Ac". The Statutes Project. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. ^ "The Leeds Zoo: The story of a failed tourist attraction". The Yorkshire Post. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. ^ "How the Civic Trust shaped Leeds". Yorkshire Evening Post. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. ^ Historic England (1 April 2017). "Fashionable Fakery: 8 Fantastical Follies". Heritage Calling. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  8. ^ Blyth, Ray (2018). "Leeds". Fabulous Follies. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Listed Buildings". English Heritage. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  10. ^ Planning application H26/349/83/ - access via leeds.gov.uk
  11. ^ "Annual Report 2015/16" (PDF). Leeds Civic Trust. September 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Leeds's Victorian bear pit in Headingley set to reopen to public". BBC News. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  13. ^ Wood, Alexandra (28 June 2024). "Leeds Victorian bear pit: Historic site with grizzly past set to reopen". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  14. ^ Writer, Guest (13 July 2018). "5 Places That Made Leeds A Goth Culture Hub In The 1980s | Spooky Isles". Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  15. ^ Silver, Mark (22 September 2024). "Mission accomplished!". Leeds Nomad. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
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