Lost stately homes

[cnosni]

Si wrote: I've got the Godfrey south Leeds map, and it shows a Knowsthorpe House and a Knowsthorpe New Hall. Knowsthorpe Old Hall is just off the map (it's named in the margin in olde worlde type, so you'd need the Osmondthorpe map.) They are on Knowsthorpe Lane, south of Cross Green Lane.     Cheers Si,will nip into Waterstones have have a quick shufty.Ive got the East Leeds map which shows Osmondthorpe Old Hall,its at the bottom of Ossie lane.You can still see an old wall which looks like it could well have been something to do either with the hall or maybe a farm.

[rikj]

Knowsthorpe Old Hall is split between the Osmondthorpe and South Leeds sheets. South Leeds also has Knowsthorpe New Hall, and Knowsthorpe House. Difficult to imagine there was a whole village there once.One of the biggest houses to go must be Parlington, "sister" house to Lotherton Hall. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of one person, its history is much better documented than most of these lost houses. Google it.Fortunately some houses were preserved through them being donated to the city, or purchased by the council. Roundhay Mansion, Lotherton Hall, Gott's Mansion and other smaller, but nevertheless grand houses.Unfortunately other grand houses are still being demolished. Rutland Lodge and St Ann's Grange are two more recent ones that spring to mind. Other ones are still lying derelict awaiting the arson attack that will allow the council to give the OK for demolition.

[The Parksider]

[quotenick="roundhegian"] cnosni wrote: You have to remember that the world of the 1950s was totally different to that of today .The conservation movement did not exist in any broad sense , it was probably composed of a few score people . Throughout the United Kingdom in the 1940s and 1950s hundreds of buildings the size of Methley Hall were being demolished because there were not people around with sufficient money to live in and maintain them .Public money at both national and local level was still being used to restore the ravages of the war and provide new housing . There were greater priorities than restoring and maintaining houses such as Methley Hall .The vast majority of adults having lived through the austerity years of the 1930s and World War ll now for the first time had money to spend and spent it on consumer goods . Selfish perhaps but entirely understandable given their collective experience since 1930 . Methley Hall and its peers were neither relevent or important to huge swathes of people wishing to improve their overall standard of living .     I should have posted about Asket hall on this thread.In any event i don't need to speculate as to why the hall is no more.Excellent post thank you......

[LS1]

Not such a large one but Southlands at the jnctn with King Lane and Harrogate Road is long gone. Shame really as it was such a nice building and similar in style to Gledhow Hall. Further up Harrogate Road, Now Omega hairdressers is the old lodge to Keldholme which I think is gone now but not sure. Cant see it on the maps anymore. Another strange one is the little lodge next to the Queens Arms on Harogate Road, opposite Kwik Fit. This is a lodge but what for? I assume that there was a house behind it where the flats are now (See map attached.

[The Parksider]

The Thoresby book East End-west End (by Beresford) on the development of housing in Leeds is heavy work.But one chapter shows how the people of Park Square got fed up withe the smoke of the town's mills and so moved up to the hillside at Little woodhouse.The road they built up to there was a cobbled drive - chorley Lane - which you can still find a stretch of by Belmont grove by the clarendon Wing.A whole series of grand houses were built in their own grounds across that area in georgian times.Then in Victorian times it was all filled in by Victorian factory brick housing.the people who had these grand houses moved further out of town, but MOST of these georgian mansions remain, and a very short but highly entertaining walk can be taken from park lane up to the University campus picking out these old georgian mansions hidden by Victoriana.The Thoresby Societies headquarters particularly hidden just above woodhouse square.Try it - a very very interesting walk.

[The Parksider]

The Thoresby book East End-west End (by Beresford) on the development of housing in Leeds is heavy work.But one chapter shows how the people of Park Square got fed up withe the smoke of the town's mills and so moved up to the hillside at Little woodhouse.The road they built up to there was a cobbled drive - chorley Lane - which you can still find a stretch of by Belmont grove by the clarendon Wing.A whole series of grand houses were built in their own grounds across that area in georgian times.Then in Victorian times it was all filled in by Victorian factory brick housing.the people who had these grand houses moved further out of town, but MOST of these georgian mansions remain, and a very short but highly entertaining walk can be taken from park lane up to the University campus picking out these old georgian mansions hidden by Victoriana.The Thoresby Societies headquarters particularly hidden just above woodhouse square.Try it - a very very interesting walk.

[chameleon]

One of my pet gripes as I have expressed on here before is the almost criminal demise of so many marvellous buildings.'Listed' status being meaningless in the absence of funding to preserve a building. A fortune required to undertake any refurbishment to very strict guidlines - or simply let them collapse and vanish if money is not forthcoming! A strange philosophy.Still, can we add Austhorpe Hall to the list of 'once was' - home for a time to John Smeaton and the origin of the ornate staircase once relocated to the ailing Grange in Seacrfot Village, but now (thankfully) in storage somewhere.

[The Parksider]

LS1 wrote: Not such a large one but Southlands at the jnctn with King Lane and Harrogate Road is long gone. Shame really as it was such a nice building and similar in style to Gledhow Hall. Further up Harrogate Road, Now Omega hairdressers is the old lodge to Keldholme which I think is gone now but not sure. Cant see it on the maps anymore. Another strange one is the little lodge next to the Queens Arms on Harogate Road, opposite Kwik Fit. This is a lodge but what for? I assume that there was a house behind it where the flats are now (See map attached. Godfrey strikes again. Your lodge is for Westfield up the drive. If you follow behind the lodge on the map the ldrive bends slightly southwards and comes to what seems to be an old building still there - that should be Westfield!!!!All we need for this thread is the Leeds set of godfreys and I bet we can find 50-100 grand houses that have gone.It seems that the lodges often were spared demolition because they remained affordable housing.I pass one regularly on Kirkstall Hill and another on Otley road as you climb up towards the Weetwood lane junction......

[chameleon]

And another one - Seacroft Hall, home of the Squire, D'Arcy Wilson, which stood in the village where Parklands High now lives - before my time but tales from Gran and her sister of being allowed to skate on the frozen lake in winter.As for Atkinson Grimshaw Si - my aspiration is to own one of his moonlight works. Donations to Chameleon's buy-a-painting fund gratefully received!! Ah well, there's always the Art Gallery I suppose.

[LS1]

The Parksider wrote: LS1 wrote: Not such a large one but Southlands at the jnctn with King Lane and Harrogate Road is long gone. Shame really as it was such a nice building and similar in style to Gledhow Hall. Further up Harrogate Road, Now Omega hairdressers is the old lodge to Keldholme which I think is gone now but not sure. Cant see it on the maps anymore. Another strange one is the little lodge next to the Queens Arms on Harogate Road, opposite Kwik Fit. This is a lodge but what for? I assume that there was a house behind it where the flats are now (See map attached. Godfrey strikes again. Your lodge is for Westfield up the drive. If you follow behind the lodge on the map the ldrive bends slightly southwards and comes to what seems to be an old building still there - that should be Westfield!!!!All we need for this thread is the Leeds set of godfreys and I bet we can find 50-100 grand houses that have gone.It seems that the lodges often were spared demolition because they remained affordable housing.I pass one regularly on Kirkstall Hill and another on Otley road as you climb up towards the Weetwood lane junction...... That would make sense as Westfield Terrace is just nearby. I think I see it on Goole Earth. Quite a big building set quite far back. Another thing that has always struck me as being odd is the placement of the gates for Gledhow Hall on Harehills Lane/ Harrogate Road Chapeltown Road junction. Not too bad if you are coming from the North but if originally you are coming up Chapeltown Road to the house, it seems an odd manoeuvre to get back round (especially in a horse and carriage) to gain entry through the gates/ lodges