Leeds City Tramways



Owner Leeds Corporation
Opened 3rd August 1889 (steam) — newly built Roundhay Park line
Temporary operator Leeds Tramways Company
Temporary services withdrawn 15th August 1889 (Roundhay Park line)
Temporary services recommenced 15th May 1891 (Roundhay Park line)
Temporary operator Leeds Tramways Company
Temporary services withdrawn 10th November 1891 (Roundhay Park line)
First electric service 11th November 1891 — newly electrified Roundhay Park line (the first overhead electric tramway in Europe)
Operator (concession) W. S. Graff-Baker, agent for the Thomson-Houston Electric Company
Taken over (operation) 31st October 1893 (Thomson-Houston Electric Company, from circa August 1894, British Thomson-Houston, and from circa May 1896, the British Thomson-Houston Company) — Roundhay Electric Tramway
Took over 2nd February 1894 (Leeds Tramways Company [steam; horse]) — company-owned lines and tramway assets
Operator Leeds Corporation (all steam and horse services)
Last BTHCo-operated electric service 31st July 1896 (following the formal withdrawal of BTHCo from the Roundhay Park lease)
First corporation-operated electric service 2nd August 1897
Last horse service 13th October 1901
Last steam service 1st April 1902
Took over (operation) 16th May 1906 (newly built Horsforth UDC-owned lines)
Took over (operation) 4th June 1908 (newly built Pudsey Corporation-owned lines)
Took over (operation) 5th July 1911 (newly built Morley Corporation-owned lines)
Closed 7th November 1959
Length 72.05 miles
Gauge 4ft 8½ins

Button description (1891-1896; Roundhay Electric Tramway) Pattern of button unknown

Button description (1894-1959; Pattern 1) The municipal arms (a shield bearing three stars above a golden fleece) with an owl crest and owl supporters, all the above a blank motto ribbon.
Materials used Brass (one-piece, open back; two-piece, closed back); nickel; chrome; black horn
Button Line reference [None]

Button description (1894-1959; Pattern 2) An owl atop a torse
Materials used Nickel; chrome; black horn
Button Line reference [None]

Comment Uniforms were definitely issued to staff operating the Roundhay Electric Tramway concession, who were presumably employees of the various lessees. Unfortunately, no examples are known to have survived, so it is currently unclear whether they were plain or marked in any way.

Leeds City Tramway uniforms bore a general Leeds Corporation button (Pattern 1 — large; Pattern 2 — small). Curiously, although the band for the motto is included on the large buttons (Pattern 1), the actual motto — 'Pro Rege et Lege' (For King and Law) — is omitted.

For those interested, a torse is a twisted roll of fabric that was wound around the top of the helm and crest to hold the mantle in place.

The large brass buttons exist on 1-piece and 2-piece (open-backed) form. It is unclear whether any of these buttons were used on tramway uniforms.