American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK. 1919 Ordinance Survey Map. Source: Leeds Museums and Galleries, UK.
American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK. 1919 Ordinance Survey Map. Source: Leeds Museums and Galleries, UK.
American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK. Today's view of the grounds in Leeds, UK. Source: Google.
American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK. 1919 Ordinance Survey Map. Source: Leeds Museums and Galleries, UK.
American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK. 1919 Ordinance Survey Map. Source: Leeds Museums and Galleries, UK.
American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK
Headingley Roller Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK (aka)
Headingley Roller Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, UK (aka)
American Roller Skating Rink St. Michael's Lane, Headingley, Leeds, United Kingdom was built in 1908 as part of the Chapel Lane Estate. That time, there was a new large brick building built in St. Michael's Lane cross from the more familiar Leeds Cricket, Football, and Athletics Club Stadiums. It was opened and owned by The American Rink Company. It was established by Chester Park Crawford and Frederic Wilkins. It was one of the 13 rinks owned by the company in 1908. it was a chain. it was also known as Headingley Roller Rink. One of the earliest known roller rink chain company before the American counterparts including America On Wheels and United Skates of America and Skateland as well as Skate Country chains.
It was opened to the public as American Roller Skating Rink. The skating rink was designed by the architect G. F. Ward who was from Birmingham, UK.
Backstory --
With roller skating had popularity swings from 1870s to early 1900s. A boom in Britain started in Liverpool in 1907.
An American rink manager called Chester Park Crawford, in association with Frederic Wilkins, opened a rink at Liverpool’s Tournament Hall. By 1909 there were five hundred roller skating rinks open across the UK. Five of these were in Leeds, in Headingley, Oakwood, Kirkstall, Hunslet and Chapeltown.
The American Roller Skating Rink in Headingley advertised itself as a social destination venue for the established or upper class, as well as an arena for sports activities. The Rink in advertisement slogan was, “If you would be graceful, learn to skate”.
They offered daily of three sessions of roller skating including morning, afternoon and evening. The morning was free to all, the afternoon was free to ladies but one shilling to gentlemen, while the evening session cost everyone one shilling. Skates could be rented throughout the day for one shilling per session. They even had books of tickets sold at reduced cost.
In fact, the skating rink hosted a military band and offered afternoon teas from their concession stand A Society Night was scheduled for every Wednesday, when all Skaters were to appear in Evening Dress – at no extra charge!
Since the rink was awfully close proximity of other sporting activities at the nearby Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Club occurring during skating sessions would attract paying customers may hampered the rink's business. It may have been the cause of business losses.
Evidentially, the building was sold in 1913 to new owners who employed the Leeds architect C. T. Simpson to alter the premises into a factory by introducing an upper floor within the Trusses.
After the World War I, the estate which bordered onto the railway line you can see on the 1919 map was developed with semi-detached houses, were built from 1920 to 1939.
Article extracted from Frank Trowell, Nineteenth Century Speculative Housing in Leeds (doctoral dissertation, University of York, 1982), supplemented by information from newspaper advertisements in Leeds Mercury in 1909, and from Catherine Robins, ‘Skating in Edwardian Leeds’, Leeds Museums & Galleries, 18 May 2022, -- Leeds Museums and Galleries.
In 1913 the building was sold and was converted to a factory. In the 1919 Ordinance Survey map, there is a building to the right of St Michaels Lane marked Headingley Works. This building was not present in the 1906 Ordinance Survey map, meaning it was built in 1908.
The Interior.
The building had a Timber Belfast type roof with Timber Bowstring Trusses to give a large uninterrupted clear span.
They had theme with all countries flags. I wonder what happened to all of those flags!? It would have been nice to collect them. They also included banners. It was very international themed interior design. From seeing in the postcard, it should rival that largest theme park in Orlando where the mouse lives. It is sure a small world. You can get my point here.
The ceiling clearly showed the Timber Bowstring Trusses. They were perfect to hang up the banners and flags.
The Exterior.
By seeing the neighborhood in the immediate area and description, it was Dark Red Brick building with Segmental Arch you can see from outside although it was a Timber Bowstring Trusses that arched the roof. the size would be perhaps a medium size rink. by seeing the old 1919 map that displayed the nurseries where they grew plants for retail use. Clearly it was renovated in 1913 after the building was sold due to poor sales. Then they sold again in about 6 years to become a nursery. Today it is a Modernism Building for Cricket academy, offices, and ticket sales center and sports store.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Definitely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1908. Renovations: 1913. Demolished: 1919.
Type of Building: Timber Bowstring Trusses Dark Bricks - Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Timber Bowstring Trusses (Segmental Arch)
Acres: N/A.
Architect: G. F. Ward of Birmingham (designed new rink building)
Architect: C. T. Simpson (converted the rink building into factory and adding second floor.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Cricket Field: 1 (cross street, has nothing to with the rink though).
Football Field: 1 (cross street, has nothing to with the rink though).
Franchise? Yes No
Franchisor: American Skating Rink Company.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1908 to 1913.
American Roller Skating Rink: 1908 to 1913.
Factory: 1913 to b. 1919.
Landscape company: 1919 to N?
Other ventures: N/A to N/A.
Yorkshire Cricket Store/Academy/offices: N/A to Present.
Reason for Closure: Probably assumed that the location cross the street from other sporting activities at the nearby Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Club would attract paying customers. However, the venture did not prove a financial success. Because of this, the building was sold in 1913.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Dead-Rinks. Thank you. You can also use this form.
Sources:
Museums and Galleries - Skating in Leeds, UK.
Headingley Leeds - American Roller Skating Rink.
Date of issue: 13 August 2022.
For office use only: 4.
Worth to visit:
There is no rink today to see. It was demolished before 1919. But what you can do today is to see the football and cricket grounds and there is a cricket school, store, etc. you might want to visit. Open to public, see for details.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on Dead-Rinks are not the property of Dead-Rinks therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved becomes property of Dead-Rinks and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
It was opened to the public as American Roller Skating Rink. The skating rink was designed by the architect G. F. Ward who was from Birmingham, UK.
Backstory --
With roller skating had popularity swings from 1870s to early 1900s. A boom in Britain started in Liverpool in 1907.
An American rink manager called Chester Park Crawford, in association with Frederic Wilkins, opened a rink at Liverpool’s Tournament Hall. By 1909 there were five hundred roller skating rinks open across the UK. Five of these were in Leeds, in Headingley, Oakwood, Kirkstall, Hunslet and Chapeltown.
The American Roller Skating Rink in Headingley advertised itself as a social destination venue for the established or upper class, as well as an arena for sports activities. The Rink in advertisement slogan was, “If you would be graceful, learn to skate”.
They offered daily of three sessions of roller skating including morning, afternoon and evening. The morning was free to all, the afternoon was free to ladies but one shilling to gentlemen, while the evening session cost everyone one shilling. Skates could be rented throughout the day for one shilling per session. They even had books of tickets sold at reduced cost.
In fact, the skating rink hosted a military band and offered afternoon teas from their concession stand A Society Night was scheduled for every Wednesday, when all Skaters were to appear in Evening Dress – at no extra charge!
Since the rink was awfully close proximity of other sporting activities at the nearby Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Club occurring during skating sessions would attract paying customers may hampered the rink's business. It may have been the cause of business losses.
Evidentially, the building was sold in 1913 to new owners who employed the Leeds architect C. T. Simpson to alter the premises into a factory by introducing an upper floor within the Trusses.
After the World War I, the estate which bordered onto the railway line you can see on the 1919 map was developed with semi-detached houses, were built from 1920 to 1939.
Article extracted from Frank Trowell, Nineteenth Century Speculative Housing in Leeds (doctoral dissertation, University of York, 1982), supplemented by information from newspaper advertisements in Leeds Mercury in 1909, and from Catherine Robins, ‘Skating in Edwardian Leeds’, Leeds Museums & Galleries, 18 May 2022, -- Leeds Museums and Galleries.
In 1913 the building was sold and was converted to a factory. In the 1919 Ordinance Survey map, there is a building to the right of St Michaels Lane marked Headingley Works. This building was not present in the 1906 Ordinance Survey map, meaning it was built in 1908.
The Interior.
The building had a Timber Belfast type roof with Timber Bowstring Trusses to give a large uninterrupted clear span.
They had theme with all countries flags. I wonder what happened to all of those flags!? It would have been nice to collect them. They also included banners. It was very international themed interior design. From seeing in the postcard, it should rival that largest theme park in Orlando where the mouse lives. It is sure a small world. You can get my point here.
The ceiling clearly showed the Timber Bowstring Trusses. They were perfect to hang up the banners and flags.
The Exterior.
By seeing the neighborhood in the immediate area and description, it was Dark Red Brick building with Segmental Arch you can see from outside although it was a Timber Bowstring Trusses that arched the roof. the size would be perhaps a medium size rink. by seeing the old 1919 map that displayed the nurseries where they grew plants for retail use. Clearly it was renovated in 1913 after the building was sold due to poor sales. Then they sold again in about 6 years to become a nursery. Today it is a Modernism Building for Cricket academy, offices, and ticket sales center and sports store.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Definitely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1908. Renovations: 1913. Demolished: 1919.
Type of Building: Timber Bowstring Trusses Dark Bricks - Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Timber Bowstring Trusses (Segmental Arch)
Acres: N/A.
Architect: G. F. Ward of Birmingham (designed new rink building)
Architect: C. T. Simpson (converted the rink building into factory and adding second floor.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Cricket Field: 1 (cross street, has nothing to with the rink though).
Football Field: 1 (cross street, has nothing to with the rink though).
Franchise? Yes No
Franchisor: American Skating Rink Company.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1908 to 1913.
American Roller Skating Rink: 1908 to 1913.
Factory: 1913 to b. 1919.
Landscape company: 1919 to N?
Other ventures: N/A to N/A.
Yorkshire Cricket Store/Academy/offices: N/A to Present.
Reason for Closure: Probably assumed that the location cross the street from other sporting activities at the nearby Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Club would attract paying customers. However, the venture did not prove a financial success. Because of this, the building was sold in 1913.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Dead-Rinks. Thank you. You can also use this form.
Sources:
Museums and Galleries - Skating in Leeds, UK.
Headingley Leeds - American Roller Skating Rink.
Date of issue: 13 August 2022.
For office use only: 4.
Worth to visit:
There is no rink today to see. It was demolished before 1919. But what you can do today is to see the football and cricket grounds and there is a cricket school, store, etc. you might want to visit. Open to public, see for details.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on Dead-Rinks are not the property of Dead-Rinks therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved becomes property of Dead-Rinks and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.