The Blackmoor Tunnel

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Sun 06 Jan, 2008 10:31 pm

Yes, I saw that and at first wondered whether it was farm traffic, but it's too faint, and there are no gaps in the fences there.I think the current pipes go somewhere around Smithy Mills Lane. Certainly a lot of hatches and electrical hummery going on there.Throughout the valley (either side of the Ring Road) there are manholes where you can hear a very loud rush of water. I assume this is something to do with the water supply, but must be a very small channel or overflow. Actually I've seen the inside of it as there was a manhole off near the site of Verity's Tearoom and you could see the water rushing by below.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Sun 06 Jan, 2008 11:55 pm

rikj wrote: Yes, I saw that and at first wondered whether it was farm traffic, but it's too faint, and there are no gaps in the fences there.I think the current pipes go somewhere around Smithy Mills Lane. Certainly a lot of hatches and electrical hummery going on there.Throughout the valley (either side of the Ring Road) there are manholes where you can hear a very loud rush of water. I assume this is something to do with the water supply, but must be a very small channel or overflow. Actually I've seen the inside of it as there was a manhole off near the site of Verity's Tearoom and you could see the water rushing by below. rikj, thats the one I went in near the old Verity's tea room. Recently (2-3 yars) there were workmen re-doing it all, think they put a filtration system there and then manholes over it, but it goes down about 20ft from memory and has what looks like a bit filtration ystem in it. I think it was called Veritys shaft becasue of this,but certainly Mrs verity owned the tea rooms so was it coincidence of were her family involved in building the tunnel?Near the Cow Tunnel under the ring Road, coming out the south side are somne strange little funnel like things there and like you say you can hear water rusing through undergroung somewhere. The field off king lane opposite Threshers where the kids' playground is, is apprently not built on as it contains the "lost" shaft you talk of. Sure there is a pic of it knocking about somewhere, perhaps an aerial view.

Post by **chameleon** » Mon 07 Jan, 2008 12:50 am

rikj wrote: Yes, I saw that and at first wondered whether it was farm traffic, but it's too faint, and there are no gaps in the fences there.I think the current pipes go somewhere around Smithy Mills Lane. Certainly a lot of hatches and electrical hummery going on there.Throughout the valley (either side of the Ring Road) there are manholes where you can hear a very loud rush of water. I assume this is something to do with the water supply, but must be a very small channel or overflow. Actually I've seen the inside of it as there was a manhole off near the site of Verity's Tearoom and you could see the water rushing by below. The feature seems to run round the top and to the west of the cricket ground and seems to correlate well with the 1851 map (with care, some of the old field boundaries can be translated into modern roads or edges of developments which helps. When you talk of running near Smith Mills Lane, I presume you mean the section to the south of the Ring Road - from there, you can almost imagine and depict a probable line through the woods to the Headingly plant.As LS1 says too, the existance of a lone, vacant field on King Lane which lines up with the other shafts does seem ominous.

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Mon 07 Jan, 2008 10:37 pm

Well, the elusive shaft was to the east of King Lane, so unfortunately can't be in the field. (As an aside, I think it was on here that someone mentioned public air raid shelters in that field.)The attached pic shows the line of the tunnel, bearings taken from the extant shafts, outfall basin at Seven Arches and valve shaft at Eccup. I'd say the red line is accurate within a few feet as to the line of the tunnel. The 1850 OS map shows the line of the tunnel but no shaft. The 1933 OS map shows the missing shaft, but no tunnel.So, trying to match the two, I'd say that the shaft lies somewhere between King Drive and the line of trees to the north that mark the stream.Also, found another conduit, curiously running from King Lane Bridge, down passed Mill Fall Cottages (Verity's) and looking to end up at the outfall basin again. I suspect this might have been for abstracting water from the stream that crosses King Lane. It's very near to Verity's that you can hear rushing water in the undergrowth and with a bit of searching find the open manhole (right by the derelict toilet block).

Post by **chameleon** » Mon 07 Jan, 2008 11:16 pm

rikj, continuing your line further to down across the picture takes it straight through an odd looking group of trees below Buck Stone Oval - are they of any significance here, could they be hiding something?

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 08 Jan, 2008 8:52 am

I think now that it might not be the field I mentioned originally as the one that contained the shaft. There was one part of the Buckstones that was not built on becasue of the shaft. Maybe this is it. A book in the library that I once read mentions this and I cant for the life of me think witch book it was I read..... If i remember I will let you know as it definately mentions this shaft and it also gave it a name in line with the others. Am I right in thinking also that there is also a bomb shelter or air raid shelter near Veritys, just further down from the sbabbling baby? when I was younger there was a blocked up passage there that now seems to have almost disappeared/ filled in.

Inquirer · Post by **Inquirer** » Tue 08 Jan, 2008 9:02 am

I have a scan.jpg (3MB) of part of an old Leeds Waterworks map of the extension of Eccup reservoir showing the line of the tunnel and the three shafts.But I dont know how to to get it on the site. Can anyone help or can I e-mail it to someone to do it?

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 09 Jan, 2008 12:15 am

LS1 wrote: I think now that it might not be the field I mentioned originally as the one that contained the shaft. There was one part of the Buckstones that was not built on becasue of the shaft. Maybe this is it. A book in the library that I once read mentions this and I cant for the life of me think witch book it was I read..... If i remember I will let you know as it definately mentions this shaft and it also gave it a name in line with the others. Am I right in thinking also that there is also a bomb shelter or air raid shelter near Veritys, just further down from the sbabbling baby? when I was younger there was a blocked up passage there that now seems to have almost disappeared/ filled in. There is a shaft in the Buckstones. Check out Steven Burts history of alwoodley.The shelter in the woods is the Leeds pernmanent building societies wartime bomb proof archives.All about it in the bunkers and secret passages thread.........

Post by **chameleon** » Wed 09 Jan, 2008 12:30 am

'There is a shaft in the Buckstones. Check out Steven Burts history of alwoodley'.....And the area I mentioned lines up with the other shafts and the aquaduct. Has anyone been to 'investigate'????

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Thu 10 Jan, 2008 8:59 am

I'm on about another one Parksider (shelter). probably 10 years ago mate of mine and me went missing after school till 7 o'clock, and before nearly getting ourselves shot in the farmers field noticed what looked like a shelter entrance down the path from the sbabbling baby. It was bricked up and everything but now when I go back bricks have gone and it has been partly filled in. Next time I'm up I'll try to get a pic.Is there any evidence to confirm Veritys shaft being named so after Verity's tea room?