History in Structure

The Old Bear Pit

A Grade II Listed Building in Headingley, Leeds

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.8152 / 53°48'54"N

Longitude: -1.5756 / 1°34'32"W

OS Eastings: 428037

OS Northings: 435517

OS Grid: SE280355

Mapcode National: GBR BBD.44

Mapcode Global: WHC9C.RCWK

Plus Code: 9C5WRC8F+3P

Entry Name: The Old Bear Pit

Listing Date: 5 August 1976

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1255678

English Heritage Legacy ID: 465760

Also known as: Headingley Bear Pit
Leeds Victorian Bear Pit

ID on this website: 101255678

Location: Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6

County: Leeds

Electoral Ward/Division: Headingley

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: Leeds

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): West Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Headingley St Michael

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Tagged with: Bear pit

Description


LEEDS

SE2835NW CARDIGAN ROAD, Headingley 714-1/64/725 (East side) 05/08/76 The Old Bear Pit

II

Bear pit in the Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Mid C19, restored mid C20. Rock-faced rusticated masonry. 2 circular castellated turrets with round-arched entrance in left and right returns, linked by a wall with Venetian-type gateway, voussoirs to central round arch. On the E side the circular bear pit is brick-lined and is linked to the turret wall by 2 tunnels; on the W side a paved area and low retaining wall, curved at ends. The Gardens were opened in 1840, the designers were William Billington, a Wakefield engineer, and Edward Davies, a landscape gardener. The bears were viewed from the top of the turrets. After several changes of ownership the Gardens were divided into building plots and sold off from 1869. The structure was measured and recorded in 1987. (Thoresby Society Miscellany: Trowell, F: Speculative Housing Development in the Suburb of Headingley: 54; Douglas, J (Victorian Society) pers. comm.; West Yorkshire Archaeology Unit: Measured drawing (plan, elevation, section), ref. WYAS.87.ACS: 1987-).



Listing NGR: SE2803735517

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