SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I wonder if anyone has any information about Spring Hill cottages, on Spring Hill, off Tile Lane, Adel. I have tried to find information but other than mentions of them I have got nowhere. To my surprise there even seems to be nothing on the cottages in the Leodis photo archive (unless my searching is rubbish!).I have attached an 1893 map from the Old-Maps UK website that shows the cottages there then. Nothing seemed to be there though in an 1851 map. I shall post a recent photo of the row of cottages and a recent one showing part of an old track to the cottages that is marked on the 1893 map.The cottages are quite isolated and so I wonder why they were built there. I wonder if they may have any connection to the building of the Blackmoor Tunnel or the Seven Arches (note that on the 1893 map the Seven Arches are already marked as a 'Disused Aqueduct').    

New try after putting a copy of the photo in a photo file to another location.This is a photo of the row of cottages that I took on July 26 2012. Though they clearly have had modern changes I suspect they are still substantially what they were when originally built. Wow, it worked this time!

This is a photo that I took on July 26 2012 showing that part of the old track that leads to Spring Hill cottages coming from Alwoodley, shortly after crossing Adel Beck. I took the photo from the sharp bend that is seen in the 1893 map. It's interesting how old tracks still survive.Apologies for my earlier post failures but I feel sure they were not my fault!

Leo. I am assuming this is the same cottages but with four bedrooms,stable & garden I doubt it was a workers cottageThis Advert is from 1882 EDIT. It looks like Spring Hill was full of workers especially Stonemasons. When you look at old maps it was surrounded by quarries.List of all the people who lived in all the cottages in 1881 http://flic.kr/p/ehctFm click on the "photo" to enlarge

Thanks mick for that most interesting information, which is appreciated.

Slightly off thread. Am having my annual "world tour" of Leeds next month. What's the best way to access the Seven Arches? I'm going to combine it with a visit to Golden Acre Park.PC

Hullo pcWe'll get the kettle on and buy in some 'fancies'.If you just want to go to them and then back, park by Adel Primary School, walk down tile Lane but right fork path which goes straight to them.http://goo.gl/maps/30CH4If you zoom in they're listed, zoom out and there's Golden Acre.From there you can drive along to Church Lane and go to the King Lane or Otley Rd Golden Acre car parks. {Edit}LeoI never knew the cottages were there until last week when I went the wrong way to photo current view of Atkinson Grimshaw's 7 arches.Not my cup of tea but what a cracking location. As I was stumbling down to the Beck a fox ran by (lens cap on...).

Leodian wrote: I wonder if anyone has any information about Spring Hill cottages, on Spring Hill, off Tile Lane, Adel. I have tried to find information but other than mentions of them I have got nowhere. To my surprise there even seems to be nothing on the cottages in the Leodis photo archive (unless my searching is rubbish!).I have attached an 1893 map from the Old-Maps UK website that shows the cottages there then. Nothing seemed to be there though in an 1851 map. I shall post a recent photo of the row of cottages and a recent one showing part of an old track to the cottages that is marked on the 1893 map.The cottages are quite isolated and so I wonder why they were built there. I wonder if they may have any connection to the building of the Blackmoor Tunnel or the Seven Arches (note that on the 1893 map the Seven Arches are already marked as a 'Disused Aqueduct').     We established that often the miners or quarrymen had cottages built from the very clay/stone they quarried close to work.That stone or brick would not travel far and so the aqueduct (and the second aquaduct) and orphanage and any number of buildings in Adel could then have been built from stone from that quarry.Quarries abound in the area none more than meanwood so spring hill may be no different to several cottage rows "a bit out" but close to old quarries - is Hustlers Row in Meanwood another example?? Maybe there are quite a few?

uncle mick wrote: Leo. I am assuming this is the same cottages but with four bedrooms,stable & garden I doubt it was a workers cottageThis Advert is from 1882 EDIT. It looks like Spring Hill was full of workers especially Stonemasons. When you look at old maps it was surrounded by quarries.List of all the people who lived in all the cottages in 1881 http://flic.kr/p/ehctFm click on the "photo" to enlarge Mick, when I was a kid we used to go to the quarry on the east side of wetherby road between the junction with easterly road and ring road.Alongside it (north end) was a magical, mysterious cottage called Ash Bank House. Witches lived there and there was a treasure chest of gold under the floor (at least so we were told).Years on it's long gone but I wished I could find a photo of it. Never have HOWEVER through your brilliant investigatory powers can you find it on census's and reveal the occupants?

Leodian wrote: I wonder if anyone has any information about Spring Hill cottages, on Spring Hill, off Tile Lane, Adel. Aren't they being sold by Verity - wasn't that the name of those who had the tea rooms?