Photo memories take you back to this Leeds suburb in the 1990s - the end of an era for outside toilets

It was decade the last relics of what was once a part of daily life for thousands of residents in Holbeck were being demolished. For generations of residents in the suburb’s streets of back to back terraces, a trip along the street to the outside loo was the only answer to a call of nature. But progress had meant most of the brick-built privvies had long since become derelict and by the early 1990s the shelters were being ripped down as part of an improvement programme. Work had begun on a £100,000 Leeds City Council scheme to tackle derelict and untidy wc yards in the Crosbys, Shaftons and Runswicks areas. As well as removing the shelters workmen were rebuilding brick walls, resurfacing yard floors and providing new doors and clothes line hooks to turn the yards into drying and bin storage areas. The yards had long been regarded as a major eyesore and a health hazard after becoming broken down and filled with rubbish. “Leeds has a major problem with a large number of redundant wc yards as most houses now have inside bathrooms,” said Coun John Ratchford, chairman of Leeds City Council’s environmental improvements sub-committee. “Further improvement schemes, funded by the Urban Programme, will be considered for other areas of back to backs in the near future. “ The issue is one of 11 photos charting a decade of memories around Holbeck in the 1990s. Many of the photos featured have been digitised for the first time having being discovered in the Yorkshire Evening Post archive. READ MORE: Memories of lost Leeds pubs in Beeston, Holbeck and Cottingley LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia