Work on Leeds' Victorian bear pit set to start

Leeds Civic Trust said the listed structure required repair work, with land around it becoming overgrown

Work is set to begin to restore a derelict 1840s West Yorkshire bear pit.

The bear pit in Cardigan Road in Headingley, Leeds, was once part of Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens.

Leeds Civic Trust, which owns the Grade II-listed structure, hopes to give it "a new lease of life" and reopen it as a public space for the city.

Work is scheduled to begin on Monday and is estimated to take 10 weeks, a proposal to install a bear statue is still under discussion.

The trust said work would include repairs, landscaping, new paths and railings, as well as a new seating area for visitors.

It is hoped the structure will be illuminated via solar-powered lights.

The trust's director, Martin Hamilton, said: "It has been a long time in coming but we are delighted that we now have the funds to bring this important structure to life.

"As the owners of a listed structure we have a legal responsibility to ensure its upkeep, and this project should give the building a new lease of life."

The bear pit, pictured as an artist's impression of what it will look like after the project's completion, has been described as one of the city's "curiosities"

The original bear pit housed a brown bear which would have been viewed from the two turrets above the pit.

The attraction was open for less than a decade due to financial difficulties, and became neglected and overgrown.

Leeds Civic Trust purchased the bear pit in 1966 for £128, and undertook an initial restoration project in 1968.

KS Architects said clearance work will open the site up to visitors, with railings installed around the pit