Leeds Poetry map

Leeds Poetry 1950-1980

Leeds Poetry 1950-1980

A joint project between the School of English and Leeds University Library bringing together the work of poets at the University of Leeds between 1950-1980.

Poets at the University of Leeds

Poets who worked at the University of Leeds between 1950-1980. The poetry archive at Special Collections at Leeds University Library.

Martin Bell

Martin Bell a Gregory Fellow in Poetry at the University of Leeds. The oldest poet to hold the Gregory Fellowship, 1967-1969.

Thomas Blackburn

A biography of Thomas Blackburn a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He was the third Gregory Fellow at the University of Leeds, 1956-58.

Wayne Brown

A biography of Wayne Brown a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. Brown took up the post in 1974.

Kevin Crossley-Holland

A biography of Kevin Crossley-Holland a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the fellowship between 1969-1971.

Jon Glover

A biography of Jon Glover a Poet at the University of Leeds. Involved with Sixty-One and Ikon poetry magazines.

Tony Harrison

A biography of the poet Tony Harrison and his association with the University of Leeds where he was a student in the late 1950s.

John Heath-Stubbs

A biography of John Heath-Stubbs a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the position between 1952-1955.

Geoffrey Hill

A biography of Geoffrey Hill a Poet at the University of Leeds. Published work in Northern House pamphlet poets series.

Pearse Hutchinson

A biography of Pearse Hutchinson a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the post between 1971-1974.

James Kirkup

A biography of James Kirkup the first Gregory Fellowship Poet in 1950.

Paul Mills

A biography of Paul Mills the last Gregory Fellow in Poetry between 1978 and 1980.

Peter Redgrove

A biography of Peter Redgrove a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the post between 1962-1965.

Vernon Scannell

A biography of Vernon Scannell a poet at the University of Leeds.

Jon Silkin

A biography of Jon Silkin the youngest Gregory Fellow of Poetry at the University of Leeds. Jon held the post between 1958-1960.

Ken Smith

A biography of Ken Smith a poet at the University of Leeds.

William Price Turner

A biography of William Price Turner a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the position between 1960-1962.

David Wright

A biography of David Wright a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. David held the position 1965-1967.

Poetry Publishing at Leeds

A historical overview of poetry publishing at the University of Leeds. It incudes publishing before 1950; Leeds University Poetry and the Acadine Poets.

Poetry and Audience

Information about Poetry and Audience a student literary magazine founded by Ralph Maud in 1953. This includes images taken from Special Collections at the Leeds University Library.

Other student literary periodicals

Other published periodicals at the University of Leeds. Publications include; Sixty-One, Ikon, Tlaloc, M.O.M.A, Geste, Minotaur, Short Story, Icarian, Stride, The Leeds Larynx and Context.

A history of the published periodicals Stand and Northern House. Stand was founded by Jon Silkin in 1952. Northern House was founded by Andrew Gurr and Jon Silkin in 1963 in the Department of English Literature at the University of Leeds.

Leeds Poetry map

Literary maps of Leeds, showing where the poets lived and worked when resident at the University of Leeds on the Gregory Fellowship.

This page features a literary map of Leeds, showing where the Leeds poets lived and worked during their time in the city. They show the residences of Gregory Fellows in Poetry, and some student poets and members of staff in the Department of English Literature and School of English.

As might be expected, there is a cluster of poets' residences around the University campus, including Gregory Fellows William Price Turner (1), Martin Bell (2) and Kevin Crossley-Holland (3).

John Heath-Stubbs often met students at Arthur Creedy's home (4) on Cemetery Place (now part of the campus) during his Gregory Fellowship.

As a student, Tony Harrison often stayed with his friend and fellow poet James Simmons on Blenheim Square (5), rather than travelling across Leeds to his parents' house in Beeston (6).

Vernon Scannell stayed in a flat on Cromer Terrace (7) in the late 1940s, but had previously rented a room in Chapeltown (8); he also lived in this area when he returned to West Yorkshire in 1979. He moved to Otley around 1983 where he continued to live until his death in November 2007.

Brunswick Place, where James Kirkup took lodgings (9), no longer exists but is thought to be close to Brunswick Terrace in the area bordered by the Merrion Centre, Claypit Lane and the Inner Ring Road.

Further afield, the map reveals a clustering of Gregory Fellows and staff of the School of English around Headingley and Far Headingley:

A University flat at 38 Moor Road (10), close to Tetley Hall, was frequently occupied by Gregory Fellows in Painting including Terry Frost (1954-1956) and Trevor Bell (1960-1963);

Hubert Dalwood, Gregory Fellow in Sculpture from 1955 to 1959, rented premises at 52 Cottage Road (11).

Thomas Blackburn lived on Heathfield Terrace (12), close by.

Jon Silkin's flat at 144 Otley Road (13) served as the offices of Stand magazine following its relaunch at Leeds in 1960, and was frequently sub-let to or used as a temporary base for other poets and writers.

T.S. Eliot, a member of the Gregory Fellowships Advisory Committee, could occasionally be seen walking along the Otley Road in the direction of Weetwood Lane, where his mother-in-law, Mrs Fletcher lived (14).

G. Wilson Knight (15), Wilfred R. Childe (16) and Geoffrey Hill (17) were also Headingley residents. Late on in his time at Leeds, Hill moved to Roundhay (18); Peter Redgrove also lived in this area during his Gregory Fellowship (19 and 20).

Paul Mills lived in a 15th century stone cottage just off Stonegate Road in Meanwood (21), which was thought to be the site of an ancient Celtic settlement.

Wayne Brown lived in Otley, north of Leeds during his tenure of the Gregory Fellowship (not shown on map)

The map also shows the locations of some of the public houses frequented by the Leeds poets or used by Gregory Fellows as places to meet friends and students.

The Fenton (22) on Woodhouse Lane, close to the University, was a popular drinking and meeting spot.

Kevin Crossley-Holland sometimes met up with students in the Bricklayer's Arms (23), also close to campus.

The Town Hall Tavern (24) in the city centre was a popular venue for James Kirkup to meet up with artist friends including Jacob Kramer.

Whitelocks Bar (25), the oldest pub in Leeds, was also a popular meeting and drinking location, frequented by Bonamy Dobrée, Herbert Read and occasionally T.S. Eliot, amongst others.