Approximately 300 yards of the A643 undercover. Why?

biofichompinc · Post by **biofichompinc** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 12:29 am

An approximately two or three hundred yard stretch of the A643 at a point between Domestic Road in Holbeck - which goes over the A643 - and Junction 2 of the M621 is a tunnel.Why is that?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 6:24 am

The only reason I can see is the A643 was built right next to a school, the tunnel built to deaden the noise of traffic?Mathew Murray now demolished. Covered tunnel behind.I never knew the area was known as Islington either?

biofichompinc · Post by **biofichompinc** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 7:58 am

Very good Phill.I thought that poser might last a little longer than a few hours with all sorts of theories being put forward. Apparently the A643 started out as an 'open' road all the way from the gyratory to the roundabout near Leeds United but it became difficult to deliver any sort of teaching at Matthew Murray because of the traffic noise.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 8:11 am

This is a strange coincidence as I have wondered about this myself recently but never thought to just ask on here.I used to work in a building named "Islington House" and until recently wondered why it was so named.Was Brown Lane a single road split into East and West, do we know?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 8:12 am

salt 'n pepper wrote: Very good Phill.I thought that poser might last a little longer than a few hours with all sorts of theories being put forward. Apparently the A643 started out as an 'open' road all the way from the gyratory to the roundabout near Leeds United but it became difficult to deliver any sort of teaching at Matthew Murray because of the traffic noise. Oh right, I'd never have realised there wasn't anything over it. I've been thorough it many times and always assumed it carried the M621 or some slip road onto it.http://goo.gl/maps/lo4UkGood one that S & P

biofichompinc · Post by **biofichompinc** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 8:19 am

BarFly wrote: .......Was Brown Lane a single road split into East and West, do we know? Brown Lane was a continuous thoroughfare from Top Moor Side through to Gelderd Road. It was split into 'East' and 'West' when the A643 was driven through it.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 8:25 am

salt 'n pepper wrote: BarFly wrote: .......Was Brown Lane a single road split into East and West, do we know? Brown Lane was a continuous thoroughfare from Top Moor Side through to Gelderd Road. It was split into 'East' and 'West' when the A643 was driven through it. Yes spot on!Brown Lane existed in some form since 1852, which is as far back as I can find. In those days it appeared to be a slightly curved narrow lane, the only thing built on it was Holbeck parsonage. It appears that Brown Lane was straightened, and widened by 1908 in pretty much the same layout we have today. As S&P says it was always a through road until the A643 was built.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 8:38 am

Just found this on Geograph while searching for some info.http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1800727Matthew Murray Tunnel, A643The south portal of the tunnel, which takes its name from the now demolished Matthew Murray School. The tunnel was built specifically to shield the school from the intrusion and noise of the Ingram Road Distributor, A643, which feeds traffic from the M621 Motorway into the city centre of Leeds. Site of former Matthew Murray School The school, now demolished, gave its name to the nearby tunnel. The outline of the east wall of the tunnel, which is covered in an earth mound, can be seen behind the horses. Elland Road Football stadium can be seen in the background. *The line of the A643 road had been revealed in development plan submissions in 1963 with no objections. The majority concerned individual properties but one was from the staff of the Mathew Murray Secondary School built in 1961 and adjacent to the distributor. Concern was rightly expressed at the proposal to cross playing fields adjacent to the school in open cut with the resultant disturbance. The Council had proposed to the Ministry that a cut and cover solution at an extra cost of approximately £200,000 would be preferable relying on the knowledge gained on the Inner Relief Road. Following a Public Inquiry, the Inspector recommended that it be covered, and the Ministry gave grant for the work* 1963 This aerial view looks from the Holbeck area in the foreground to Elland Road and Beeston. Brown Lane can be seen prior to the A643 being built.Quote from Steve Jones herehttp://www.leodis.org/display.aspx?resourceIde ... LAY=FULL*I spent the first 20 years of my life within the frame of this picture! Born Holbeck, 1957, in the 'Willoughbys' (terraced streets running west from Domestic Street, which passes under the railway bridge in the bottom left of the photo). Later, move to the 'Pleasants' (more terraced streets, further to the left along 'Domec'). Some of the Pleasants are still standing in 2008. Moved to the top of Wesley Street, Beeston, in 1966. Wesley Street can be seen in the upper left of the photo, forming a busy junction with Elland road and Lowfields Road adjacent to the football stadium. Attended Ingram Road county primay junior mixed school, and the adjacent infant school, from 1962 to 1968. Went on to the then new Matthew Murray high school until 1974. Both schools stood on Brown Lane, which runs left to right across the middle of the photo, to a junction with Gelderd Road (between the railway bridge and the Lowfields/Gelderd junction). Neither school is standing in 2008, Matthew Murray having been demolished in 2007. A new Ingram Road primary school replaced the original building in (I think) the 1980s. Brown Lane is now divided into East/West sections by the Ingram Road distributor. I remember taking part in an early-1970s demonstration which protested at the impending loss of Matthew Murray school playing fields (the open space between Brown Lane and Lowfields Road, in the middle of the photo). The protest failed, but did win the concession of a tunnel section, which preserved at least some of the playing fields*

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 8:57 am

Is it right that the playing fields were on the top of the tunnel at one point? I cant make it out on the photos here but I think I remember reading somewhere that although the tunnel was built to remove noise, it also had the playing fields on top of it.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 19 Jul, 2013 9:17 am

LS1 wrote: Is it right that the playing fields were on the top of the tunnel at one point? I cant make it out on the photos here but I think I remember reading somewhere that although the tunnel was built to remove noise, it also had the playing fields on top of it. No it looks like the playing field was fenced in, the fence looks to have been staggered further up the tunnel banking. But it wasn't a playing area on top of the tunnel. A public footpath ran on top of the tunnel, which I presume will still exist.