SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

The Parksider wrote: Cardiarms wrote: The drain starts on the southside of the BrooKhill Crescent, heads north under the road. There's nothing shown any further south in the gardens except surface water drainage. Everything on shadwell lane and to the south drains towards Great Heads Beck. If the land was just "natural" then I assume springs will issue forth rain water as it soaks through the land.If you build an estate on it I assume that much of the water will land on roads and go down the drains.So streams must get depleted somewhat?? Do they link road drainage into culverted streams?? How is it engineered.... Yes, but Cardi will be better placed to comment I think.A case in point is the Cock Beck (Grimes Dyke) where it originated adjacent to The Coal Road, Culverted some 30 years ago now and having all the surface water from the estates built around it drained into it.It has been interesting at times to see, as I have noted before, how in nature, quantities of water continue to migrate to and along the paths of old to the dismay of council, YW and householders alike.

The Parksider wrote: Do they link road drainage into culverted streams?? How is it engineered.... Basically yes. The general principle nowdays is to keep surface water, land drains and culverted water courses separate from foul sewers.    

Brunel wrote: This time in LS17.I have traced most of it and put the details on a Google Map. I went to have a look at it today and your fine map and details were great. I wouldn't have found much without them!!Looking at the lie of the land the beck - is it "Wigton Moor Beck" let's say it is seems to flow down from the high point of "alwoodley Moss" as the larger area was once know and indicative of a watershed.Today's high point is marked by street names "beckhill" which clearly is descriptive of the area and "hill top" which is an old alwoodley name for that part and is marked by a covered resevoir - clearly set on hill top.Wigton beck clearly flows downhill (it would) and that is clearly north of Hill top.The other side of hill top sees a line of trees and waste ground behind sandringham mount and the lie of the land there looks like a beck flowed down the moss at the other side of hill top. The line of the trees and land arrives close to the shadwell lane/ring road junction where Great heads beck comes out of a culvert.So Hill top is a natural boundary between wharfedale in terms of the river and it's tributaries and airedale in terms of the river and it's tributaries.Actually going to an area you can see how the land lies and from hill top there is a third culverted waterway. Whilst NW flows Wigton beck and SE flows Great heads, there is a clear pathway for a flow of water SW.In this direction there is a line of trees at the side of the ring road between king lane and Harrogate road. Where you cross through these to get to the red brick flats there's a grate along that line of trees where the path crosses through that isn't draining anything. Follow that back up along the line of trees and there's a broken concrete pipe set down in the soil and water flowing along it.The line of the low lie of the land and those trees with the broken culvert and drain cover carries on to the ring road where king lane crosses. Come down to the ring road from either side of King Lane and clearly the ring road runs in a fairly pronounced valley, as does that line of trees .The whole valley drops further down to Scotland and meanwood beck and so it seems that there was another beck running from alwoodley moss down to meanwood beck in a very pronounced valley which the ring road just about slavishly follows today so I assume that was all culverted down to meanwood and that all surface water run off to the land drains ends up in the underground culvert which ends up in meanwood beck.

Thank you for the information from your field trip."Today's high point is marked by street names "beckhill" "I assume you mean Brookhill, which means the sameNordic to English...!!!

Brunel wrote: Thank you for the information from your field trip."Today's high point is marked by street names "beckhill" "I assume you mean Brookhill, which means the sameNordic to English...!!! Yes sorry Brookhill. All becks confirmed on the 1854 map. Shadwell too has a beck that flows south to great heads and a beck that flows north to scarcroft and on to the wharfe.

As correctly predicted, there is a culverted water course that runs from just to the west of the harrogate Road, Ring Road Roundabout, it follows the south side of the ringroad as far as Sainsbury's, where it is briefly on the surface, though i supspect it looks little more than a drainage ditch. It crosses the ring road by the Fitness club and joins the highway drains. However another watercourse is culverted , starting from the middle of the homebase carpark, probably the same historic water course. this crosses to the south side of the ring road at Blackmoor Road. It follows the ring road and may even be on the surface again on the field boundary approaching Scotland Mill Lane. It crosses the ring road to discharge in the beck by Bywater farm and joins Adel Beck at the North end of Sctoland Mill lane.

The Southern fork of Gledhow beck is culverted from the West end of Carr Manor Road, follwong King Lane and Gledhow Valley Road.

Trying to post about two more becks but it wont let me....grrrr

'starting from the middle of the homebase carpark, probably the same historic water course.'the map even as late as 1974 shows a short stretch of water on the surface here, running est-west, about 300m long. It simply starts and stops again in thew middle of the field.

Third attempt...Stain beckRises north of Carr Manor in St Alfred's Way and heads south, picking up other courses from Carr manor School Fileds. The initial bit may be visible as the western boundary of Carr manor house. South to Stainbeck lane. Down the south side of stainbeck lane behind the houses to Potterneton Lane where it emerges as far as Meanwood road and then back underground until it meets Meanwood beck by the south west corner of the cricket pitch.