Spaces & Places – Leeds Petanque Court

As an architect I spend my days designing and looking at buildings, but often I find that what really gives the character of a place is the space around the buildings and how people interact with it. Often these spaces are simply a functional access route with little reason stop and enjoy them but sometimes you can see that time and thought has gone into producing small areas of interest that you can take a few moments out of your busy day and relax, be entertained or be made to think.

One of my favourite places I love to walk past in Leeds is the Petanque (or Boules) Court at Bond Court, behind NHBC. I’m afraid I don’t know a great deal of history on the place or who had the idea to put something like this here but I just love the idiosyncrasy of it.

The area could easily have been generically paved over with a few nondescript seats and then forgotten about. However the small gravel terrain of the court is surrounded by several tables & chairs with chess boards on them. There is a lovely bronze sculpture, by Roger Burnett, depicting a traditional French petanque player watched by an inquisitive local family overlooking the playing area. What better way to spend your lunch time on a summers days but to take some time out from the city centre hussle & bussle and relax to the clinking of boules and reminiscing of past summer holidays in France.

Although I have walked passed on a few occasions when people are playing, it’s a shame the place doesn’t get more use. I assume this is because most people don’t own their own set of boules. It would be nice if you could borrow some that are held by a nearby shop maybe. I understand in the past there has been an annual tournament played there for charity but I’m not sure if this is still going, I hope so.

I know there is a lot of support for a new big park in the city, with current proposals for it on the Tetley brewery site, which I really hope happens. But I’d like to see more “pocket parks” dotted all over the city where people can take a few moments out to enjoy the area of city they are in.

There are a couple of other similar areas in Leeds I enjoy stopping for a moment when I am passing. The small landscaped area behind The Midnight Bell pub in Holbeck is a lovely area to sit and have lunch or read a book. There is also the area in front of the central library on The Headrow. I love the large chess boards, which get used regularly, although I am yet to win a game there (those guys are good). The area also gets used by active young men doing tricks on their bikes or practicing their free running. I recognise that a few people may fine this a little intimidating as they are walking past but I find it really brings the place to life.

There are many other little areas to enjoy in the city that often you don’t find unless you stumble across them, I’d love to know your favourites.