Abbey Gorse

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
Post Reply
smokey
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon 28 Jan, 2008 2:41 pm

Post by smokey »

Does anyone know the history of Abbey Gorse off Morris Lane in Kirkstall? I believe there was a large house with a turret where the street named Abbey Gorse is now. From the information I can find, the house was once owned by one of the Earl's of Cardigan and there was a fire there in 1976 but that didn't destroy the house. Does anyone know what happended to it?Is the gatehouse at the bottom of Abbey Gorse linked to this house?

rikj
Posts: 393
Joined: Tue 20 Feb, 2007 4:59 pm

Post by rikj »

Intuition says that the lodge would have been linked to a large house there. In fact the 1906 Godfrey map shows Abbey Gorse with the lodge. The Central Library has documents from the sell off of the Cardigan Estate, from the late 1800s I think. Very detailed maps from the agents handling the sale. In the Local History section.These are very detailed hand drawn maps, things of beauty in themselves.I just came across them by chance, but they make fascinating reading. I'm sure the Abbey Gorse plot would be covered there. Just from memory there were maybe 200 plots sold off from the Cardigan Estate. The sale of the estate defined much of the way the area has developed up to the present day.HTH

Mike Wilkinson
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu 16 Apr, 2009 3:07 pm

Post by Mike Wilkinson »

I remember the house in the 1950's but by then it was divided into flats. For a short time I delivered bread for the Thrift Stores branch near the end of Morris Lane & remember delivering to one of the Abbey Gorse flats. Just further on Morris Lane towards the street called The Rise two huge stone semis were for years a Dr Barnardos children's home. Even further on, between the top of Abbey Walk & the railway bridge at the bottom of Spen Lane, on the present site of the Coucil maisonettes & flats there were fields containing a tree lined drive leading to a bridge over the railway. That was the driveway entrance to the former Kepstorn House, the demolised site of which was still clearly visible in the 1950's & garden paths could still be traced in the woods. The drive continued past the former house site & came out at the edge of the Woodbridges, get the name link -there was also another railway bridge in the woods ? - on the Queenswood estate.Mike W

rfinley123
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue 04 Feb, 2020 5:44 pm

Re: Abbey Gorse

Post by rfinley123 »

It was built by Frederick Ingham around 1877. He built it for his family and was a wealthy brick maker and land owner. Frederick was brought up at Cow Close in Wortley and later his parents (and most of his adult siblings) lived at Greenhill House in Wortley. The fact that he built Abbey Gorse was cited in the divorce petition from his wife, Anna Kirby. By her account, he was a bit of a wife-beater and she left him - apparently he beat her frequently in this house. Frederick later moved and rented Ridge House in Armley from Samuel Eyres Wilson (who also owned Armley Grange House but lived in London). Maybe he couldn't face living there after the divorce as he moved shortly after. Not sure if he sold or rented it out but he was a bit of an entrepreneur by all accounts!

Tamara
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri 05 Jun, 2020 7:35 am

Re: Abbey Gorse

Post by Tamara »

Hi rfinlay123. Frederick's brother Samuel was my great great grandfather. It sounds as if you know a lot about the history of the family. I'd love to know more about it! Are you researching/descended from the family?

Post Reply