I Love Armley

Reflections from across the Pond

2006-09-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, news of The Armley Tourist Board has reached the shores of America thanks to Wikipedia. For anyone out there looking for a dose of good old fashioned news from Armley then look no further. I bet nothing changes here. Diane, originally from Armley writes:

"I wish I could say that I do come back but since my arrival in the States in 89 I've only been back once since . This was back in 94 when my grandad suffered a stroke and I made the trip to come see him before he passed away. When I came back I just had the 9 days off work to fly over , see grandad , and spend the rest of the time I had with my family and also had a chance to have a look around Armley while I was there. It was so weird for me, I cant even tell you how much I felt the fast pace of living here in the states just fall from my shoulders while I was there. I got to go by the old house at 8 Aberdeen Walk and from there I walked down to Conference Place up to West Leeds Girls High (as it was back then ) and then back down Whingate and along to Armley Ridge Road and past the Upstairs Downstairs (where I aquired many a hangover by the way ) . What was really weird for me was going into the Barley Corn Pub and there to my surprise was a fella that I went to school with and is running it now (Mark Harrison) !! Now THERE was a memory haha!! Wont say why ;).

I felt like I had visited an Undecided Time Warp . I saw so many things that were new and had changed but then would walk around the corner to see the sight of a building or a street where it looked like time had absolutely stood still . To enhance on that and give you a giggle I remember the day before I flew to the states and me , my hubby Sam and my dad and my younger brother Ian went to tie on a few pints at the New Inn and have a game of darts etc. I was in the tap room area where I was looking around and the regulars were there sitting over by the window all drinking a pint and watching a darts game......... well in 94 when I returned to see grandad my dad took me for a drink at the New Inn (again) and when I walked in I almost fell over with shock and laughing ...... the same bloody regs were sitting in the same seats with pints on the table and watching darts .... of course when I explained to dad what I was laughing at he saw the humourous side of it as I laughed and asked him " did they move at all since I was last here" ?

No, I dont or didnt hate Armley when I was growing up my mum and dad raised us well as best they could and my growing up years were fun . I used to go to Charley Cake Park and play with my friend but when I saw that picture a million memories came back to me but one stood out the most which was "we never were allowed on that grass" LOL. Funny though I never had heard the story or can remember being told about Charley Cake or how the Park came about so that was very interesting.

I looked at the pictures in your site of the street parties and didnt see any faces I knew but just the views of the streets brought about memories . I guess when I see them a sort of sadness comes over me because as much as I live here now and its home and Ive moved around so much since being there, it came apparent to me that in many small ways I miss the sense of home that I had. So for me to see and share with what you and many others have posted about Armley means alot and I wanna thank you so much for doing that and I guess I should thank Bill Gates too huh :)) because without the internet I couldnt have done this."

If you remember Diane as Diane Kilburn and want to get in contact with her email allytude@tampabay.rr.com.
She does have a myspace account too, which she can relay to you if you get in contact.

Are you missing Armley, hate it and are glad to be well away, or keen to get in contact with old freinds? Email us with your tales...........

2006-08-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Lady Mayoress asks favoured son of Armley to be patron. Alan Bennett kindly replies

"I like Armley it is a good old fashioned place".

Due to committments with 'The History Boys' Mr Bennett unable to assume full duties but is with us in spirit.......Copy of correspondance below... Should you wish to see framed book mark with Mr Bennett's famous black squiggly writting contact Mrs Jam Siren to access Armley Archives......

Dear Mr Bennett

I am the self appointed Lady Mayoress of Armley, and the de facto Chair of Armley Tourist Board.

On behalf of the citizens of St Ives Mount and St Ives Grove I would like to invite you to our next very enjoyable street party ‘Jam Up The Back passage: The Second Coming’ on August 26^th - so called because we turn the back street betwixt St Ives Mount and St Ives Grove into a celebration of living in Upper Armley.

As it may have been some time since you were in this neck of the woods, the streets of St Ives are located between Charley Cake Park (top of Armley Town Street) and the rec next to the Hallidays (Moorfield Road). (I understand you and your brother would cross the rec carrying the wireless battery to have it recharged in one of the Edinburgh’s – still full of children with very runny noses.)

I am certain you are probably invited to such gatherings all the time but we hope that you might be able to come share a sausage, sup some ale and throw yourself about in wild abandon to the live music generated by some of the most talented musicians Armley has to offer. The line up is confidential, but, seeing as it’s you, I can let slip that Jim who lives at number 9a, will be returning to open up proceedings once again to great acclaim by performing his faultless rendition of tunes by The Shadows under the guise of ‘The Greatest Lover in Armley’.

Of course we will not be affronted if you have to put commitments to promoting ‘The History Boys’ first, we would only expect such industriousness from one of our greatest Armleyites, in fact, should you wish to generate some further publicity we are happy to give ‘The History Boys’ a mention on the Armley Tourist Board website free of charge. We get at least 20 visitors a month.
Armley is in dire need of some positive promotion, it has recently been hitting the headlines with the news that Todd’s Pork and Beef Butchers on Town Street were responsible for 14 victims of e-coli. I imagine your father would be none too pleased at that. However, we are proud to live in Armley and want everyone to know what a great place it is to live.
I have attached some rather expensively produced literature about our event, and hope you are able to join us. If you are unable to come perhaps you might like to consider attending a 1940’s tea dance which is taking place on the 9th September on Armley Ridge Road, we can forward you details should you wish to come and enjoy a nice slice of Victoria Sponge.

Finally, Mr Bennett, if you could see fit to write us a few words of encouragement at this busy time we would be deeply humbled. If you would be prepared to go a step further and be our honorary patron of The Armley Tourist board then that would be magnificent. There are no duties associated with such a role, only perhaps your permission to state this as the case on our literature and website as appropriate, you would have our permission to state it in your publicity. We have no official remit yet, have no funds, or are not incorporated, but as time passes and our work is recognised who knows what the future may hold!

Yours appealingly.

The Story of Charlie Cake Park

2005-09-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Charlie Cake is the most fantastic name. When we first moved here i thought that there was cake factory nearby and that it was the name of its car park. Needless to say on polling day I wandered around aimlessly searching for Armley's answer to Mr Kipling. But Charlie Cake is, infact, much more interesting than some overly manufactured bakewell tart (I'm beginning to sound scarily like my step-grandfather Derek but stay with me).

Once upon a time in Armley there lived a peddler, called Charlie Cake. Charlie was a peddler who sold the finest patisseries and petits gateaux throughout armley - and , no doubt, as far across the valley as kirkstall and beyond, maybe even Bramley. On these journeys through the vales and villages of Leodis, Charlie could always rely on his trusty old horse (not sure of her name but lets call her Cupcake) to carry his wares and share a joke or two along the way. Armley Town Street always proved to be a bit of an up hill struggle for poor old Cupcake, what with all the joy riders on their penny farthings and such like. So it was something of a relief for them to stop at the strange triangular shaped green belonging to the Gotts Family at the top of the road. Here Cupcake would have a well deserved break after lugging around the weighty batenburgs and victoria sponges and Charlie Cake would also take the opportunity to sell his delicious creations to the genteel residents of Upper Armley. During one if these regular stops at the triangular green Charlie was blessed with a flash of marketing genius and decided to create his own signature shortbread cake in the shape of a triangle. Over the years Charlie Cake's Shortbread was famed accross the town of Leodis and was even presented to the Queen of England at the opening of Leodis Town Hall in 1853. After his death Charlie Cake was posthumously honoured by the good people of Armley, and the Gotts Family rightly renamed the triangular green Charlie Cake Park. The End.

An abridged version of this text can be found at (including pictures of Charlie Cake Park itself)
http://www.leodis.org/display.asp?resourceIdentifier=20041216_48165530&num_to_display=10

Posted By Armley Cat

Armley Gyrates

2005-09-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Say the word Gyratory it sounds weirder every time
and it defies my attempts to make it a rhyme

The des residents of Horsforth, Headingley, ChapelAllerton & Roundhay
feel envy beyond words that they cannot say
that they are lucky enough to have a gy-rate- o- ray!

There I did it!

Okay as you can see I cannot claim any great skill
but stay with me a bit longer, if you will
Coming back up the country, on the M1 from visting my friends
seeing that gas tower as I fly round the bends
makes me smile at the thought that soon i'll be home
if you live in Armley why would you roam?

As I pass by the shops of the famous Mike of the carpets and Mike who's bazaar
Its a wonder I don't whip off my bra
For wonders of wonders there's a hopeful new Thai!
If it werent for the prices, it's food I might try

I try hard not to pray for Armley to change
I love the fact that it's a little bit strange
(or the people are anyway)
What with Point Break on both sides of the street
This mad Armley lass is nearly on heat
With the promise of panini and live music as well
Getting a Starbucks would be just like hell.

Armley Rocks

2005-09-08T02:14:00.000-07:00

I love the graveyard up t'road, and view from it to a part of Leeds that I do not know, I love the inexplicably wide Yorkshire flagstone pavement on one side of the road on the way up to it, I like the look of St Mary's hospital though a friend who had her baby there in nineteencanteen said it was ghastly and grim though its NHS offices now but maybe things haven't changed. I am scared of the Barleycorn, and I don't even know the names of the other pubs except for the White Horse on the other side of the road which I have been for a lunchtime drink in the dim and distant past and it was er.... ok(ish). I love the canal. I love Armley Mills Industrial Museum and the fact that we seem to be the only visitors each time I go, outnumbered by the staff. I love the fact that you can cycle to work in about 5 minutes from St Ives Mount along the canal (if you work in town) but then it takes about 50 mins to come home and as it's up hill all the way it nearly kills you. I love the melancholic horses on the 'moor' and I don't understand them. I don't even like horses. But I love not understanding the melancholic horses on the 'moor'. I wonder who Charlie Cake was and why there is a little triangular park named after him and what are the brick wall things in the top corner of the park, surely not the entrance to an underground public toilet? I am very very curious about the demarkation (sp?) line where the right hand side as you walk back from the shops of Armley Town Street goes 'nice' just after the moor up to Hollywell Lane/that new church/that row of houses with very very flowery gardens (does one of the residents work in the parks department?) and then goes very very downhill for a few Edingburghs, and then by the time you get to our street (or maybe the one just before) it picks up so that by the time you get to opposite that pub on the top of the hill it's well posh (and yes, I work in social regeneration and I don't know how one locality works and another doesn't right next to each other)....... You can probably tell, I could go on.

Anon.