South Leeds retro: Look back at these memorable photos of Morley in 1961

It's a year which will be remembered for a devastating fire which ripped through a Morley landmark. The Town Hall tower was without its dome due to a fire at the Albert Mills in August 1961. Waste paper being stored there caught alight and sparks were blown against the wooden dome which transferred the fire to the Town Hall. Textile mills were notorious for causing severe fires mainly because the structure of the buildings often became soaked in oil and grease. In order to keep the pulled up rags and willeyed material together it was sprayed with oil, and most of the process in working the material involved spinning it at high speeds which gave the oil plenty of opportunity to fly off and impregnate wooden beams, floorboards and wooden machinery. In this instance the mill was a total write off. Before the fire it had been partly used for storing waste paper and so caught fire even more quickly. The police inspector's house in Wellington Street opposite the Town Hall also caught fire and had to be demolished. The main photo is one of more than 30 charting the year which brings together memories from all four seasons and feature a ramge of street scenes and local haunts. The photos are a mix from the David Atkinson Archive and others published courtesy of photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. READ MORE: Memories of lost Leeds pubs in Morley, Gildersome, Churwell and Drighlington LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia