Goodbye Eddy B: A fond farewell to Leeds’ favourite son

It’s with a heavy heart that we have to say this: as of June, the Edward Boyle is closing.

Well, sort of. It’s being refurbished. But nevertheless it means that in less than a month the Brotherton’s ugly brother will close its doors, never to look so charmingly monstrous again.

As a fond farewell, we’ve combined some of your tributes to this proud institution.

“Eddy B, you are the less picturesque of the two libraries but you do have your charms. Although please come back with better temperature regulation, plug sockets and history books.”

Jess Austin, Second Year History

“Do you know? I think it’s my least favourite place in the world.”

Tim Gibson, Third Year French

Yes, it may be being reopened in 2017 after a complete rehaul. And yes, it is being replaced by a swanky new library just around the corner. But that’s not the point.

The Edward Boyle has been with us for the entirety of our university careers. We’ve seen people have sex in it, we’ve even seen people live in it. The Edward Boyle is more than a library – it’s a way of life.

“There was always lots of books, but look closer and you would see that they were always just multiple copies of the same generic general text. They never had the important title from the reading list. In that way, Eddy B was the Sports Direct of Uni libraries.”

Alex Clifford, Third Year History

“I lived in Edward Boyle for a while. We worked, we laughed and we cried together. We’ve been through some really hard times, and not once has Edward Boyle disapproved of my poor organisational skills or my last minute deadline fluster.

“He’s always there for me, encouraging me to pull through, saying ‘you can do this Kiran’. When Eddy B goes, I won’t have just lost a library, I’ll have lost an old and trusty friend.

“I’m now going to have to acquaint myself with his pretentious, public school cousin – the Brotherton.”

Kiran Morjaria, Third Year Medicine

“I don’t care really. I’ve never been in.”

Hayley Atkins, Third Year Medicine

And who could forget Level Flirteen? Out of those lift doors you’d step into an evergreen pasture of furtive glances, secret games of under-desk footsie and awkwardly mumbled requests to share plug sockets.

Level Flirteen was also the birthplace of the infamous Eddy B hotshots account, which finally told you about “Hot girl with glasses and mousy brown hair in silent study area” and “Aggressively good-looking rugby player in History section” could find love in an extremely hopeless place.

We asked EddyBhotshots for their own views on the loss of their long-time home:

“Nowhere else on campus can you be surrounded by the smell of stale redbull and passive aggressive anti-noise notices.

“The Edward Boyle is more than just a library, it is the Kings Landing of Leeds, and everyone who’s anyone is there. Similar to GOT, people have been close to death in an effort to secure the iron throne (a seat by a plug socket).

“The Brotherton is as exciting as lukewarm tea in comparison. When Eddy B finally closes, and level flirteen along with it (RIP), I fully expect to experience phantom limb syndrome. I will be, and currently am, inconsolable.

“I once saw a punch up on level ten over a psychology book.”

Elle Canham, Second Year History

“I’ve never been but I heard it was alright.”

Abhinay Settipalli, Fourth Year Dentistry

The departure of the Edward Boyle will clearly leave a hole in the heart of campus.

Eddy B, you may have had some flaws, but they made you who you were.

Goodnight sweet prince.