SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Methley Hall, see picture was demolished in 1958. Can you believe this kind of crime against history was allowed. Methley is a small village about 3 miles east of Rothwell.

Nice building. It has a look of Haddon Hall or Ripley Castle with those battlements. There was a similar (though far smaller) house in Harrogate, demolished in the late 70s. Judging by the tall windows, it looks to have had a private chapel.

Yes i know,its criminal,but as usual its all down to money.What about Knostrop Hall?Link to Leodishttp://www.leodis.net/display.aspx resourceIdentifier=2004217_86722964The artist John Atkinson Grimshaw lived there from about 1870,and painted it many times himself (not decorated it)

Wow. Where was that? Lower Aire Valley where Knostrop sewage farm is? There was a big stately place in Swillington too, demolished in 1950. http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... SPLAY=FULL

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Reginal Perrin wrote: Wow. Where was that? Lower Aire Valley where Knostrop sewage farm is? There was a big stately place in Swillington too, demolished in 1950. http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... SPLAY=FULL Im not sure where it was,there are a few comments to the picture on Leodis but as the location is given in reference to buildings which no longer exist then its hard to pinpoint it.Ive some Godfrey Maps but the areas i have skirt around it,i think i would need the Osmondthotpe and/or south Leeds.There are a good few images on Leodis of the interior of the hall,and look at some of the comments associated with the pictures.the one on the link has a contribtuion telling how the chap in the picture is probably Grimshaw himself,he did some cracking pictures.

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.    

cnosni wrote: Yes i know,its criminal,but as usual its all down to money.What about Knostrop Hall?Link to Leodishttp://www.leodis.net/display.aspx resourceIdentifier=2004217_86722964The artist John Atkinson Grimshaw lived there from about 1870,and painted it many times himself (not decorated it) 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 .    Grimshaw is an artist I admire particularly his views of central LeedsBriggate and Leeds Bridge are two that come to mind . About a year ago I bought five Grimshaw prints at a very reasonable cost from the Central Art Gallery in Leeds and they continue to give pleasure . He is underrated in my view .

I agree, Roundhegian. Atkinson Grimshaw is one of my favourites, too.    

Kippax Hall, this remained standing, until fairly recently.http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... PLAY=FULLI wonder if anyone remebers the large Victorian House that stood in the woods off hospital lane in Ireland Wood.I think that woods were originally part of the estate of this house, I remeber there were several features in those woods such as hot house, orchards, cellars and a concrete water tank.The lower end of the woods was taken by an expansion of Cookridge hospital but the rest of it remains as it was, though some houses have been built on the Otley Old Road end.The house was demolished sometime in the late 1960's