Restored Victorian bear pit officially reopens

The bear pit in Headingley, Leeds, was built in the 1840s and described as one of the city's "curiosities"

A restored 1840s bear pit has been officially reopened in Leeds, with local residents now asked how they would like it to be used.

The Grade II listed structure in Headingley once housed a brown bear as part of Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens and is now owned by Leeds Civic Trust.

At an event on Saturday, members of the trust unveiled the refurbished building on Cardigan Road along with an information board explaining its history.

Trust director Martin Hamilton previously said the non-profit organisation was "very open to how it be might used in the future".

"We want to give people the opportunity to see what happened there," he said.

"This project is something people can appreciate in the future as part of Headingley."

The building was bought and initially restored by Leeds Civic Trust in 1966

The trust purchased the pit in 1966 for £128 and undertook an initial restoration project in the same year.

On Saturday, members of the public were invited to take part in guided tours and plant wildflowers in the site's garden.

A consultation has now been launched for ideas and feedback to make the space somewhere "everyone can enjoy", the trust said.

Keys to the restored bear pit would be shared with partner organisations in the area to keep it as accessible as possible, it added.

To celebrate the opening, the nearby Hyde Park Picture House cinema invited children to take part in a "bear hunt" and watch a screening of Paddington in Peru.

Left Bank community arts centre hosted a family crafts event to mark the day.

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