In my first year as a student in Leeds (early '90s), Bryan's was my local chippy - just a couple of minutes walk away. Went there often. Also saw Jim Bowen in there once. And if money was tight, you could just get a bag of crispy batter bits for 50p.
My housemates and I also used to go to Harry Ramsden's for a fun outing on the bus (the 655, if I recall correctly). There was a decent pub across the road too. Happy days.
Both Harry Ramsden's and Bryan's were consistently excellent IME. I'm not sure I'd say one was better than the other. Good fish and chips is good fish and chips. Regional differences aside (oil vs dripping, cod vs haddock), good fish and chips are much of a muchness. Obviously, there are plenty of bad chippies around, but it's nonsense to say any particular chippy is "the best".
If there's a real difference between one good chippy and another, it's the context. One of the things that makes our local chippy great is that it's 30 seconds walk from the beach, so you can sit and watch the legendary Whitstable sunset while you eat.
Those trips to Harry Ramsden's were great because of the company and the sense of occasion. Even if the fish and chips are perfectly cooked, they'll never taste as good in a branded franchise in a soulless shopping mall. I'm sorry to hear about the original HR closing, but I doubt it would live up to my memory of it anyway.
d.