63 Years since Leeds Tramway Closure – 7th November 1959

On this day 63 years ago, the tramways in Leeds finally closed. Some routes had stopped operating earlier, so to mark this occasion we’d like to highlight this painting which was donated to the museum in 2021.

The painting was produced by J. E. Castelow and shows the last tram to run on the Lawnswood route in Leeds, which closed on 3rd March 1956. The tram in question was Horsfield car 222. This tram route (number 1) was the oldest one in Leeds, opening for horse trams in 1871. According to The Yorkshire Post, the 1956 closing run attracted large crowds of people cheering and singing, with someone even playing the ‘Last Post’ on a bugle.

The view in the painting was from the upstairs of a famous chemist’s shop in Leeds, which was owned by the artist’s father, Mr W. Castelow. When W. Castelow died in 1974 at the age of 98, his shop had stood at 159 Woodhouse Lane for 133 years. When it was threatened with demolition, Hull Museums carefully packed up and transported the contents of the shop to their Museum on High Street. It was reconstructed exactly as it appeared during Mr Castelow’s ownership. The shop was eventually re-housed in the Hull Streetlife Museum street scene.

You can find out more about that on the Hull Museums website here: http://museumcollections.hullcc.gov.uk/collections/subtheme.php?irn=464

How did this painting come to Crich?

The painting was donated by Mrs Salkeld in memory of her late husband, Robert. Here is her account of how she acquired the painting: “In the 1970s and 80s my husband worked for the BBC based at Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, immediately opposite Mr Castelow’s Chemist Shop. When the BBC moved from one building to another close by, there was a big clear out. My husband was allowed to take the painting, which had hung in the Reception area for several years.”

We are very happy to have acquired this painting for our collection. Not only does it depict a historic occasion for the tramways in Leeds, it also has some interesting associations and stories!

To see which Leeds trams we have in our collection, please visit the ‘Tramcar Collection’ page of our website.

You can also look through our photographs of Leeds tramways through our online catalogue.

This image shows Leeds tramcar no.115 at Hyde Park, Leeds, 11th June 1953. Photo by R.B.Parr (copyright National Tramway Museum collection).