Understanding Victorian back-to-back houses and their communities in 21st century Leeds
Lead Research Organisation:
University of York
Department Name: Archaeology
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Gill Chitty (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Joanne Harrison (Student) |
Publications
Harrison, J
(2017)
Walking Tours of the Back-to-Back Houses, Harehills
Harrison J
(2018)
The Origin, Development and Decline of Back-to-Back Houses in Leeds, 1787-1937
in Industrial Archaeology Review
Harrison, J.
(2021)
The Lost Streets project goes live
Harrison, J
(2016)
Review: Sustainable Building Conservation. Oriel Prizeman
in SPAB Magazine
Harrison, J
(2021)
Rediscovering the lost streets of Victorian Burmantofts and Sheepscar
Harrison, J
(2016)
Reconciling Conflicts between the Built Heritage and Sustainability: the Adaptive Re-use of School Buildings
in WRocAH Journal
Harrison, J
(2018)
Heritage Open Days: Back-to-Back Houses, Harehills
Harrison J
(2019)
Back-To-Back Houses in Twenty-First Century Leeds
in The Historic Environment: Policy & Practice
Harrison, J
(2017)
Back-to-Back Houses and Their Communities
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/W503071/1 | 31/03/2021 | 30/03/2022 | |||
| 1634948 | Studentship | NE/W503071/1 | 30/09/2015 | 31/10/2022 | Joanne Harrison |
| Title | Back-to-back houses and their communities in 21st century Leeds |
| Description | An exhibition showcasing the history of back-to-back houses in Leeds, with an invitation to curent and former residents of Harehills Triangle back-to-backs to participate in the research. The exhibition included information about the development of the house type from 1787, development of Harehills from the 1890s, plan form typologies, architectural characteristics, use of the houses past and present and a case study of a typical street in the early to mid-1900s. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | The exhibition was seen by visitors to Compton Road Library, Leeds and anecdotal evidence suggests that there was interest from the local communities. A small number of these people made contact by email and/or signed up to an event to learn more. It is still early days, and the exhibition will likely be on display again so that greater numbers of people can learn more about their neighbourhood and its history, and sign up to take part in the ongoing research. |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/1323915451054836/ |
| Title | Back-to-back houses and their communities in 21st century Leeds |
| Description | An exhibition showing the findings of the PhD research. An opening event was hosted at the Compton Centre Library during Heritage Open Days (September), giving research participants the opportunity to engage with each other. The exhibition move to Leeds Central Library after one month, and the to Leeds City Museum in November, where it remains. It has attracted a lot of interest - the museum asked in January if they could keep it longer. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Interest in joining the Harehills Neighbourhood Forum |
| Title | Rediscovering the lost streets of Burmantofts and Sheepscar |
| Description | 6 banners detailing the research project and case studies researched by workshop participants |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | Public engagement at library and museum venues in Leeds (Abbey House Museum, Central Library and Leeds City Museum) |
| Description | Neighbourhood Planning |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Neighbourhood Planning (2022-2023) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/news/areas-selected-for-planning-pilots-for-deprived-communities |
| Description | HRC - Jane Moody Scholarship |
| Amount | £2,204 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of York |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Title | CAQDAS respository |
| Description | Repository of qualitative data associated with the research. For ease of collating and working with the data, it is not currently anonymised, and therefore cannot be shared at present. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The data cross-references data held in the relational database and quantitative repository, and enables holistic analysis and interpretation. |
| Title | Rediscovering the lost streets of Victorian Burmantofts and Sheepscar |
| Description | Google map linked to Leodis Archive and WYAS database |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | TBC |
| Title | Relational database |
| Description | A relational database holding data about every back-to-back house in the study area. This includes information about plan form typology, design, orientation, original and current architectural features, rooms / room use, business types (in the case of shop-houses), construction date, developer, architect, former occupants (as listed in Census and historical directories), house condition, environmental performance and photographic evidence. Outputs from this are linked to a GIS to show distributions etc graphically. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Too early to determine. It is expected that it will be of use to the local authority in understanding the neighbourhood so that appropriate decisions can be made when determining planning applications. It will also be of interest to local communities and local historians. |
| Title | Statistical repository |
| Description | Repository of quantitative data associated with the research. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The data cross-references data held in the relational database and qualitative repository, and enables holistic analysis and interpretation. |
| Description | Rediscovering the lost streets of Victorian Burmantofts and Sheepscar, Leeds |
| Organisation | Leeds Central Library |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Project design and development; Publication of a blog; Public workshop facilitation and presentation (so far) Creation of a new online platform (my ownership) to link to an existing archive (Library ownership) (in progress) Post-engagement project analysis, interpretation and presentation; Project dissemination - website; blog; exhibition at Museum (coming shortly) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Library - Hosting project blogs, managing ticket sales, co-facilitating workshops and giving presentations; providing online access to resources Museum - Co-facilitating workshops and giving presentations Still to come from library and museum - post-engagement project analysis, interpretation and presentation |
| Impact | Outputs - Blogs (see Publications), website, updated city archive, exhibition Historical archaeology, social history |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Rediscovering the lost streets of Victorian Burmantofts and Sheepscar, Leeds |
| Organisation | Leeds Museums and Galleries |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Project design and development; Publication of a blog; Public workshop facilitation and presentation (so far) Creation of a new online platform (my ownership) to link to an existing archive (Library ownership) (in progress) Post-engagement project analysis, interpretation and presentation; Project dissemination - website; blog; exhibition at Museum (coming shortly) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Library - Hosting project blogs, managing ticket sales, co-facilitating workshops and giving presentations; providing online access to resources Museum - Co-facilitating workshops and giving presentations Still to come from library and museum - post-engagement project analysis, interpretation and presentation |
| Impact | Outputs - Blogs (see Publications), website, updated city archive, exhibition Historical archaeology, social history |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Company Name | Harrison Architectural Heritage Ltd |
| Description | Harrison Architectural Heritage provides architectural and heritage consultancy services, including retrofitting for energy efficiency and building performance evaluation. |
| Year Established | 2020 |
| Impact | TBC |
| Website | http://harrisonarchitecturalheritage.co.uk |
| Description | Back-to-back to the future? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk about back-to-back houses in Leeds followed by a discussion of the relevance and quality of new back-to-back houses |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Great British Railway Journeys |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Filming for an episode of Great British Railway Journeys. I was interviewed by Michael Portillo, on location, and discussed the design and construction of the houses, and how some in other parts of Leeds had been cleared in favour of multi-story housing. (Not yet aired but expected imminently) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Great Get Together 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Exhibition about the back-to-back houses in Harehills, and engagement with the general public (incl. residents). The exhibition prompted discussion about the houses and neighbourhood, and several visitors filled in a questionnaire for my research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/145601076299340/ |
| Description | Harehills Festival 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I hosted an exhibiton stand at the Harehills Festival, discussed my research with current and former residents, and encouraged people to complete questionnaires for my research. There was a good level of interest, and several people commented that it was great to see some positive research about the area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/1938328193055104/ |
| Description | Harehills Festival 2018 & 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I hosted an exhibiton stand at the Harehills Festival, discussed my research with current and former residents, and encouraged people to complete questionnaires for my research. There was a good level of interest, and even people who did not live in the study area were keen to get involved in the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/536169676811167/ |
| Description | Heritage Open Days - Youtube presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Youtube presentation about the back-to-back houses in Harehills. Available only for the duration of Heritage Open Days. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Heritage Open Days 2017 - Walking Tours |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 65 people attended a 2.5 hour walking tour (4 timeslots over 2 days) around the back-to-back houses in the Harehills Triangle. Feedback was very positive, with some people providing information about their own links to the area (e.g. sending a family biography to me by email) as well as asking that I inform them if I discover anything relevant to their own family history. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/walking-tour-of-the-back-to-back-houses-in-harehi... |
| Description | Heritage Open Days 2018 & 2019 - Walking Tours |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 53 people attended a 2.5 hour walking tour (4 time slots over 2 days) around the back-to-back houses in the Harehills Triangle. Feedback was very positive, and people made comments about how they now saw the neighbourhood in a completely new way. Two attendees had come based on recommendations from an attendee the previous year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/walking-tour-of-the-back-to-back-houses-in-harehi... |
| Description | Heritage Open Days 2018 - Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Exhibition about the origin, development and decline of back-to-back houses, and analysis of the neighbourhood at present. This was of interest to lots of local residents, and the Compton Hub requested that the exhibition was displayed for an extra week due to the large amount of interest that had been observed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/back-to-back-houses-and-their-communities-in-21st... |
| Description | Participatory workshops with research participants |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | To understand residents' heritage and other values, their aspirations for regeneration and support for a range of policy options. 10 residents engaged in the 2 sessions and then their output was distributed among the wider community for feedback. Residents are now establishing a Neighbourhood Forum with a view to making a Neighbourhood Plan. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Rediscovering the lost streets of Victorian Burmantofts and Sheepscar, Leeds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Series of 5 workshops to map the historic photographs in an online collection with historic maps, and make them available online in relation to their current context. Provision of social history case studies online to accompany the maps. Lots of interest from the participants who are also working in their own time to complete the research. They are also very enthusiastic about contributing their own social history / oral histories to the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://secretlibraryleeds.net/2021/01/29/rediscovering-the-lost-streets-of-victorian-burmantofts-an... |
| Description | Talk for 1152 Club / Leeds Museums |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Around 40 members of the 1152 club came to the 1.5 hour talk about the history of back-to-back houses in Leeds, and their status now. The purpose of the talk was to increase knowledge about the heritage significance of the house type in Leeds. Feedback provided on forms showed that the talk had improved perceptions of them for some people in the audience, and also led to participation in my research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Talk for Leeds Libraries |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk was the most attended lunchtime talk that the library had ever hosted - around 120 members of the public (which included interested professionals such as Civic Society employees and members of local branches of amenity groups) came to the 1.5 hour talk about the history of back-to-back houses in Leeds, and their status now. The purpose of the talk was to increase knowledge about the heritage significance of the house type in Leeds. Feedback provided on forms showed that the talk had improved perceptions of them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.leedsinspired.co.uk/events/lunchtime-talk-heritage-risk-back-back-houses |
| Description | Talk for The Victorian Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk to c. 250 people to tell them about my research findings, forming part of a series. Received praise, emails from other researchers and a request to collaborate from with a museum in my county. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/news/book-your-place-now-for-the-lecture-series-building-the-vic... |
| Description | Walking tour of the back-to-back houses, Harehills |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | Thoresby Society members attended the walking tour which they found very informative and said led to them liking the houses more. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Website and social media presence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A website details the nature of my research (including aims and objectives) and hosts a blog which is used to update followers about research findings, and activities / events in which they might wish to participate as part of the ongoing research. This is interlinked with a facebook page, facebook group (which now has 50 members) and a twitter account. The website and social media platforms have been a key method of introducing my research and interim findings to a wider audience. By reaching out in this way, it is likely that more people will participate in the research, and the research findings will be more robust. With a greater number of participants, there is more chance of the research process and findings being disemminated informally in the local communities, and as interest and capacity are increased, it becomes more likely that tangible benefits may be achieved (such as pride in the neighbourhood, taking care of properties, respecting local authority processes for planning permission etc). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018 |
| URL | https://backtobackhouses.wordpress.com/ |