SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I noticed this gateway today- its over the wall, opposite Fall Woods Marina at Newlay, further along from the Upper Reach housing development. It seems to lead nowhere...theres a rough path disappearing into the woods. I can only imagine it was either -a)the gates to Ross Hall which is a fair way further along the canal - a hell of a long driveway if soor b) The gates to the factory which I believe stood adjacent to The Abbey Pub. However, not sure why the gates would be there as the road is at the other side of the development.Another possibility is that they were related to the now disappeared bridge which obviously once crossed the canal to the big house on the other side. Could it have been their gateway?

is that not the old gates leading to the quarry?

LS13 wrote: I noticed this gateway today- its over the wall, opposite Fall Woods Marina at Newlay, further along from the Upper Reach housing development. It seems to lead nowhere... There's loads of these.Everything else may have gone (it's still on the old maps though)But the two gateposts remain.QUESTION - why did they never take the old gateposts down?

yeah my guess is it was the quarry entrance theres another older one further up if my memory serves me correctly.Im a bramley lad misen' used to play down there as a kid even found a whole load of victorian coins once bout 10 - 15 of them (maybe a quarryman dropped his weeks wage) hehe. The reason why there still in situ is probably since its in noones way in the middle of a wood and removing all the structures wouldve been an uneccessary expense just as all the stone hoppers are still there. Have u been further in to have a look? its worth the wander trust me. Coincidently I know martin who runs the abbey pub down there hes an old family friend so if there not it he would prob know what there were for

Where was the quarry Polo? Martins moved on by the way, got a pub in Otley I think, Horse and Farrier or something like that?

As a young lad I used to play in and on the roof of the empty and quite extensive buildings, which I'm sure were something to do with the woolen trade, maybe dyeing. There was a sign at an entrance just above the Abbey pub. The gate posts shown were at the back entrance and a muck road went up to the swing bridge (now gone) over the canal. The big house on the other side of the canal was, Haley's house, as I remember. An old cantankerous feller lived there and used to shout at us to clear off. Back to the mill side, there was a concrete 'pill box' just over the canal wall, like a look out point. There were quite a few timber ventilator shafts, about 6' sq. Also the now woods at the back were actually the dumping ground for the boiler ashes and was permanently burning, no woods and trees were riverside only then.

The quarry still is where mentioned earlier, stone from there went to help build the Forth railway bridge.    

I believe that Bramley Fall stone built the original London Bridge and also the Houses of Parliment. In fact just googled Bramly Fall stone and it brings up some quite intresting facts.The quarry is still there it used to start at the end of the playing field on the right as you went down pollard lane and continued down towards the canal.When i was a young pup in the 60's (19) before you start they quarry was used as a tip and Mary Harrison wagons were in a never ending stream up and down pollard lane. And it was also used as a dumping ground for tyres of all shapes and sizes which from time to time got set alight which caused a huge plume of thick black smoke.Also in the bottom of the quarry there was a lagoon which was full of frog spawn in the spring...happy days    

Derculees wrote: As a young lad I used to play in and on the roof of the empty and quite extensive buildings, which I'm sure were something to do with the woolen trade, maybe dyeing. There was a sign at an entrance just above the Abbey pub. The gate posts shown were at the back entrance and a muck road went up to the swing bridge (now gone) over the canal. The big house on the other side of the canal was, Haley's house, as I remember. An old cantankerous feller lived there and used to shout at us to clear off. Back to the mill side, there was a concrete 'pill box' just over the canal wall, like a look out point. There were quite a few timber ventilator shafts, about 6' sq. Also the now woods at the back were actually the dumping ground for the boiler ashes and was permanently burning, no woods and trees were riverside only then. The "pill box" is still there and can be seen quite clearly from the towpath. I can't work out what it was as it's an odd place to put an actual pill box (though there were loop holes in the wall or Kirkstall Forge onto Kirkstall road apparently).

hi there LS13 thanks for letting me know that ill have to get in touch with him. The old stone quarry is actually in the fall woods itself through those gates bout 20 secs or so in not too far from canal edge where the loading ramps are still in place