Underground & Hidden Leeds

[Bush Tucker Man]

I was in Leeds yesterday with the intention of going to a Carribean take-away/cafe for a Goat Curry.
Sadly they'd sold out :(
So, I decided to go park up just out of the city-centre (cheaper parking!, & still close - 400yards or so to the Market)

On walking back to the centre, I passed over a beck/stream in a culvert.
It got me to thinking about what I'd been told of a hidden river, but presumably it's just a beck?

A bit of searching last night found me the 'Lady Beck', that runs underground & is culverted for most of its journey through Leeds.
It originates up on Otley Chevin through Bramhope, then entering/draining the lake at Golden Acre Park, Adel, Meanwood, and onwards,
It takes its name from a long-gone Chantry Chapel at the junction of Lady Lane & Templar Lane (just off EastGate)
This was also the site of the first Catholic church built in Leeds

'Leodis.net' Search on Lady Beck

Flickr 'Underground Leeds Album. 1'

'Unknown Leeds' Collections


Exploration clip


This was the beck that I saw, that sent me in this direction (click on pic to enlarge)


It's certainly a fascinating topic, & will probably grab my attention for quite a while.
Even though I'm not from Leeds, but I love the Victorian architecture side of it :clap:


And as for the content of this site
Some of the responses make for really great reading for anyone who has the slightest knowledge of Leeds.
Such as;
1. There are ten Victorian prison cells directly under the front steps of the Town Hall which are very cold, dark and creepy.
They still have the shackles for chains on the benches in there. The council open them up to the public when they can, so keep an eye out for any announcements in the press!
It is well worth the trip.
Where I work, our adjoining mental Hospital (before its demolition) also had shackles remaining in some chambers/cells within the oldest parts


2. Several years ago I heard rumours from a friend who was working there at the time of a tunnel linking the Town and Country Club on Cookridge Street, with Leeds Train Station. The suggested original purpose of the tunnel was for the transfer of animals back when the T&C was a circus. Has anyone else heard such rumours?

[BK]

When I worked for a drainage company,I went down something similar to this in york but I went down on a inflatable boat,this one in leeds looks like a surface water drain(not foul) that is why they have no BA ,I had BA and a gas detector and a massive torch,ther were lots of large rats and lots of sewerage (obviously),also dead animals and various other things I cant say on here but under the main road in york through the shopping area there is a huge victorian sewer that runs the full length of York City.........its very interesting although I dont do it now having slipped two discs in my back lifting lots of manhole covers(bloody heavy) :)

[BK]

They look really unequipped to go down there even though its only surface water,there will be rats down there and we all know what "weils disease" is and theres no cure for it,i would want full waterproofs,gas detector and a 10 minute escape set.Btm,do you work at pinders?cos if you do it was me that surveyed and cleaned every drain on that site a couple of years ago :)

[Bush Tucker Man]

They look really unequipped to go down there even though its only surface water,there will be rats down there and we all know what "weils disease" is and theres no cure for it,i would want full waterproofs,gas detector and a 10 minute escape set

I guess they know the risks & accept that fact
Watching the video, I wonder how far they had to return to exit??, as they couldn't get out at the exit to the River Aire




This site is good, if you want to look at the hidden side of Leeds
http://www.secretleeds.com/

Btm,do you work at pinders?

Yes I do (for my sins)
Which company was it?, as one was there that had a 6x4 (or possibly 6x6?) 110, with a large box-body

[dreadnought110]

I keep looking up the history of the Great central Railway and trying to follow the remains on google earth it's interesting... :) Honest....

[Bush Tucker Man]

I keep looking up the history of the Great central Railway and trying to follow the remains on google earth it's interesting... :) Honest....

I'd be interested in it. Honest

(& I mean that!)

[Disco Matt]

You can often trace disused railway lines very easily on GE. I've spent a few hours "flying" over Bristol and looking for leftover bits of the harbour railway.

If you call it Industrial Archeology then it sounds more Indiana Jones...

[dave_2A_2.25Turbo]

You might want to check these sites out ...

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/index.php

http://www.derelictlondon.com/derelict_london_com.htm

[Bush Tucker Man]

You might want to check these sites out ...

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/index.php

I know about '28 Days Later', as there's quite a few in the Asylum/Hospital forum of our 'neighbour' (& its Church)

[Disco Matt]

Despite never having been to Leeds I've just spent an hour wandering around that site - interesting to see that you still have the old tram lines there, just covered over by a layer of tarmac. The norm in Britain seems to have been to dig them all out, as opposed to a few cities in the USA where you can apparently still see exposed bits of track in odd corners.

[Bush Tucker Man]

Despite never having been to Leeds I've just spent an hour wandering around that site - interesting to see that you still have the old tram lines there, just covered over by a layer of tarmac. The norm in Britain seems to have been to dig them all out, as opposed to a few cities in the USA where you can apparently still see exposed bits of track in odd corners.

Roundhay Park still has the iron poles that held the tram cables at the old terminus on Princes Avenue.

[Bush Tucker Man]

Despite never having been to Leeds I've just spent an hour wandering around that site - interesting to see that you still have the old tram lines there, just covered over by a layer of tarmac. The norm in Britain seems to have been to dig them all out, as opposed to a few cities in the USA where you can apparently still see exposed bits of track in odd corners.

Roundhay Park still has the iron poles that held the tram cables at the old terminus on Princes Avenue.

Found one of the terminus, now the car-park ;)
link & location

[dreadnought110]

I keep looking up the history of the Great central Railway and trying to follow the remains on google earth it's interesting... :) Honest....

I'd be interested in it. Honest

(& I mean that!)

I bought a book on then and now it's so amazing how they eradicated all signs of the railway in places check it out if you ever have the opertunity.. :)

[Disco Matt]

Wow - amazed that the poles have survived complete! Wonder how far down the tracks are buried? Anyone fancy a bit of digging?  :lol:

[dreadnought110]

Outside where i work in leicester on the A50 we had a burst water main when they dug the road up the tramlines and cobbles where under the tarmac... also the bridge had some work done on it a few years ago and i went underneath it. It's actually made up of 2 bridges the old one inthe middle was in perfect nick the outer extensions was rotting terrable!!!! :oops:

[Bush Tucker Man]

Wow - amazed that the poles have survived complete! Wonder how far down the tracks are buried? Anyone fancy a bit of digging?  :lol:

I'd reckon that some of the regulars on 'Secret Leeds.com' & '28 Days later.co.uk' have already had a nosey around, but as far as I can recall, most of the length of Princes Avenue has been dug-up & resurfaced.

Middleton (to the south of Leeds) has a road that has a 10yard wide strip down the centre where the trams used to run
THIS shows the trackbed (I know it says location unknown, but it's the road in question)
Multi-Map




In the village where we used to live one of the oldest private (colliery) railways ran through it.
At one point the old line crosses 2 of the roads, the tracks have gone on the A-road (A642)

But they remain, complete with cobbles on the minor road into the village, it was originally a horse drawn/gravity line.
I don't have a picture at the moment, but I believe they could be a flat-head rail? (will try tomorrow, if you're interested)

It's also a 'narrow-gauge'

See last entry

Outside where i work in leicester on the A50 we had a burst water main when they dug the road up the tramlines and cobbles where under the tarmac... also the bridge had some work done on it a few years ago and i went underneath it. It's actually made up of 2 bridges the old one inthe middle was in perfect nick the outer extensions was rotting terrable!!!! :oops:

How about this bridge then, for a 'one over the other'??

Click on pic to enlarge


It's on the A59 Skipton - Preston 'turnpike'

[Disco Matt]

In the village where we used to live one of the oldest private (colliery) railways ran through it.
At one point the old line crosses 2 of the roads, the tracks have gone on the A-road (A642)

But they remain, complete with cobbles on the minor road into the village, it was originally a horse drawn/gravity line.
I don't have a picture at the moment, but I believe they could be a flat-head rail? (will try tomorrow, if you're interested)

It's also a 'narrow-gauge'

See last entry





How about this bridge then, for a 'one over the other'??

Thanks - I'm sure others wil be interested too! I keep meaning to go and see what can be found of a disused line locally, a big chunk of it is now under the main road but there's a greenlane that seems remarkably close to the old trackbed on the map...

[corrosiverob]

dont know if i am on the right line here (excuss the pun)

but years ago i worked for amec and although i never went down there is a underground in leeds,  BT and others use as cable ducts, a friend used to work on the electrical side for amec and was down there quite a lot.

he told me it was like a discused railway???

rob

[Bush Tucker Man]

dont know if i am on the right line here (excuss the pun)

but years ago i worked for amec and although i never went down there is a underground in leeds,  BT and others use as cable ducts, a friend used to work on the electrical side for amec and was down there quite a lot.

he told me it was like a discused railway???

rob

It's on 'SecretLeeds.com' (or '28 Days Later') but I can't find it at the moment.

There was a plan at one time for an underground railway in Leeds, but it's probably either a service tunnel purpose built for the electrical/telephones/gas, etc....., or one of the old goits (stream courses for mills/waterwheels)

[Bush Tucker Man]

http://www.derelictlondon.com/derelict_london_com.htm

My wife is presently communting to London practically every weekday for her role in the redevelopment of 'Guys & St Thomas's' (well, 2 of their sites)
I'm going to ask her to gain access to one of their older areas. It is open to the public at certain times, but she could get a private visit

I know it's 'off-site', but still comes under their care as far as we can figure out
http://www.thegarret.org.uk/index.htm

[Bush Tucker Man]

In the village where we used to live one of the oldest private (colliery) railways ran through it.
At one point the old line crosses 2 of the roads, the tracks have gone on the A-road (A642)

But they remain, complete with cobbles on the minor road into the village, it was originally a horse drawn/gravity line.
I don't have a picture at the moment, but I believe they could be a flat-head rail? (will try tomorrow, if you're interested)

Thanks - I'm sure others wil be interested too! I keep meaning to go and see what can be found of a disused line locally, a big chunk of it is now under the main road but there's a greenlane that seems remarkably close to the old trackbed on the map...

I called this afternoon, and got quizzical looks from the occupants of a nearby house :lol:

Click on pic to enlarge (2 images)


Sadly the bridge it went under, further up the old incline, on the Lane we used to live on is now filled in.