It is the Leeds gem which has had a tough life with scars to prove it. Fire all-but destroyed Kirkgate Market on the night of December 13, 1975. The cause remains uncertain to this day - there were suggestions either of an electrical fault or an overturned paraffin lamp. Either way, the flames spread quickly through Europe’s largest covered market and some 150 stallholders fled for their lives. These photos tell the story of how the market bounced back over the 12 months after the blaze. READ MORE: The night Kirkgate Market was devastated by fire | Walk around Kirkgate Market during the 1980s LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia
1. Kirkgate Market
Enjoy these memories of how Kirkgate Market bounced back after the fire in December 1975.
4. Kirkgate Market
Traders and shoppers get a close up view of the charred remains and twisted metal.
5. Kirkgate Market
Coun Irwin Bellow, leader of Leeds City Council and Coun William Hudson, chair of the Trading Services Commitee address the traders at an emergency meeting in the Corn Exchange the morning after the fire.
6. Kirkgate Market
Marquees are put up as temporary accomodation for market traders who were affected by the fire.