Malt Mill Yard, Lowerhead Row looking north

1928. View of Malt Mill yard off the Lowerhead Row. Looking north, straight ahead, is number 7. There are shutters at the lower window and broken panes of glass in the upper one. A gas lamp stands in the yard and there are three dustbins and a brush to the right. An outside toilet block can be seen to the left. The Malt Mill Inn was once one of the public houses owned by Kirkstall Brewery in Broad Lane. In 1925, Sir Reginald Blomfield (1856-1943), a London architect, was commissioned to redesign what was then called Upperhead and Lowerhead Rows (now The Headrow), and also right down to the bottom of Eastgate. The work began in 1927 and it included substantial widening of the road. This involved demolishing much old property and yards on the north side of the Rows, including Malt Mill Yard. The yard was probably photographed just prior to demolition. Trade directories show that Malt Mill Yard had disappeared by 1929 and it is likely that the inhabitants of Malt Mill Yard moved out in about 1928. Apart from the road widening, the Paramount Cinema (later to become the Odeon) was eventually built on the site, opening in 1932.