Once a fine Weslyan Methodist chapel, today Leeds' Templar House lies derelict - saved from demolition only thanks to its historic status as a Grade II listed building.
Still retaining remnants of its once-grand years, over the years, the building has had a number of different uses - most recently as an Amateur Youth Boxing Club in the early 1990s.
Originally built as a place of worship in the 1800s, it has since been used as an Army Recruitment Office, vacuum cleaner manufacturers, offices for the British Road Services, and an Unemployment Benefit Office.
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
Boarded up since the 90s, it continues to engender curiosity in those who walk past - leading one local explorer to find his way inside to see what is left of the historic site.
Due to a number of health and safety concerns, the site officially remains strictly off limits - but that didn't stop local explorer Kyle Urbex from finding a way in and having a look around.
However, as the upper foundations of the structure are considered to be unsafe it has sat empty for some three decades now. As a result, the building is in something of a dilapidated state, to say the least.
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
Kyle's mages show an old pool table buried beneath a thick layer of dust, as well as old lockers and curled, yellowing boxing certificates still pinned to cork notice boards harking back to better days when local champions still roamed Templar House's halls.
The ceiling and walls have seriously deteriorated, particularly on the building's upper floor, and the floors are just as decayed - coated in dirt and debris, likely the result of year's worth of significant weather damage.
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
Image: Kyle Urbex
And yet, there's still a certian macabre charm to the place. Graffiti sprawled on one wal in the bathrooms exclaims "you look beautiful!", stairwells look bleak and bare, and one room is simply piled high with rubbish.
A building that will be known to anyone who lives in or around Leeds, it's fascinating to have a are peek behind its brick and black boarding. Even if it's in a seriously dilapidated state.
Feature image - Kyle Urbex
Feature
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
A new female-founded business has opened in Leeds and it’s a trinket-lover’s paradise
Clementine Hall
Lisa Angel has just opened inside the Victoria Gate and it’s an Aladdin’s Cave full of jewellery, prints, gifts and everything in between.
The best part? It’s a female-founded brand that has chosen our wonderful city for their first Yorkshire site. We absolutely don't blame them.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has gone from strength to strength every since.
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Shoppers can expect beautifully handcrafted jewellery, unique trinkets and wonderful staff who are open to have a natter.
It's the perfect shop for when you don't exactly know what to buy that someone special, just pop in here and you'll be hit with a wave of inspiration immediately.
We could've genuinely spent a good hour in there and come out with a much lighter wallet.
Lisa herself spoke about the opening: “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.”
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Managing Director James Moody said: “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."
Georgina Pellant -
25th November 2022 
