Back in the day, when I worked at a promotion company in Leeds, we’d go leafleting round the student areas, dropping dozens of Jungle night posters and zines through the letterboxes of seshheads across Hyde Park, Burley, Woodhouse and Headingley.
One day, on Estcourt Terrace, me and a colleague came across this house painted completely white. It had a motorised gate (also white) and a bronze bust of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi beside the door. I’d never seen anything like it.
I asked some others about it, notably graduates of Leeds Met and Uni, who said it was home to an eccentric who had a tendency to play classical music in the wee hours, sometimes accompanied by strobe lighting.
It has captured the imaginations of locals for years.
“I’ve actually been to a party he hosted,” one Redditor said. “He’s a very weird guy but hell the party was awesome. A few mates used to work for him and for my 18th birthday he took about 12 of us to a 10 course Chinese and paid for the lot.
“Nice guy, just super eccentric.”
That nice guy is a self-taught classical and jazz music conductor and pianist. He took his inspiration for the paint job from a small opera house painted white he saw in the USA a few years before snapping up the infamous property.
The owner, who likes to remain anonymous, said: ‘I just like a refreshing, modern look — it’s my idea of modern elegance.”
During the renovation, he arranged a room with a piano and space for his musician friends to come over for music sessions in his house
Other decor at the home, worth approximately £250,000, includes a silver model rocket.
The bronze bust next to the front door was actually unveiled by Leeds University’s head of music faculty with an open air concert.
“This design reflects my love of design engineering,” the owner said.
“I have always done a lot to the interior and have had a cocktail bar I call the ‘Blue Orbit’ built.
“This is all lit with classic neon light and I often have musician friends over for a jazz night. The open plan space is big enough for a small band, with guitar, drums, bass and me on piano. It’s a nice place to entertain and play music.
“But I think I am getting to the point now where it is getting saturated and I feel the work of art is complete. Now it is just about maintaining it.”
He’s not short of fans. One man wrote online: “If the owners like it what does it matter?
“People spend far too much time bothered about what others are doing and not enough looking at themselves.
“Let them enjoy their home how they want it.”
News
Female-founded independent jewellery brand to open in Leeds’ Victoria Gate
Norfolk-based jewellery brand Lisa Angel is opening their first Yorkshire site right here in Leeds.
Jewellery and trinket lovers, this one's for you.
Lisa Angel, a female-founded jewellery and gifting brand will open the doors to its new store in Victoria Gate next month.
Shoppers can expect a wonderful range of jewellery, gifts, and accessories that have established a loyal following during more than twenty years of business.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has only gone from strength to strength since.
Image: Supplied
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
After opening two stores last year and three stores in 2024, Lisa Angel’s founder and Creative Director, Lisa, said: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Managing Director James Moody explained the significance to the business of opening a new store in a city as influential as Leeds: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
We'll keep you up to date when we know an opening date, but for now you can check out what to expect here.
Yorkshire residents are being invited to name two new bin lorries
Clementine Hall
Well...this is a new one.
Ever fancied naming a bin lorry? Well today is your lucky day, because now you can.
Yorkshire-based waste management experts Divert are celebrating the arrival of two swanky new tbin rucks by inviting the local community to help name them.
The iconic purple bins, vans and trucks can be seen across the Yorkshire area helping to clean up waste from Bradford to Harrogate.
Two new lorries are set to be joining the fleet in April and May, and of course they need a name.
And who better to ask than the general public? The winning names will be added to the cabs of each of the trucks for all to see, and announced via the Divert website and social media channels.
Absolutely anyone from across the UK is welcome to take part, but the company are especially keen for people from Yorkshire to enter.
You can be as creative as you like, but there are a couple of rules...
No swearing or offensive names. Aside from that, you can let your freak flag fly.
The Divert team are keen to hear the 'best celebrity puns, local namesakes, and downright silly names' the public have to offer.
John Verity, Managing Director of Divert, comments: “Naming our bin trucks is a great way to bring some joy to the local community. We hope to bring a smile to the faces of passing drivers and pedestrians as our fleet passes by.
“Not only that, naming our lorries can help our drivers to take pride and ownership in the vehicles they drive and be a key reminder of our engagement within the community. We’re always keen to employ any initiatives that help the public to engage with us and ensure we’re seen as a friendly face in the area.”
Winners will be voted for by the team internally, and the competition closes at 5 pm on 31 March 2026.
Josh Teal -
4th June 2021 
