SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Ran from Knowsthorpe east leeds past the sewage works and skelton Grange and on to pontefract lane. It's still there but most of what it serviced is not.

Anyone know if it is possible to travel it? By car or foot. I do know at times there have been signs to stop people going down that way, but isn't it a public right of way?

Last time I drove down Knowsthorpe Lane was when the Power Station was still operating, it wasn't really a public right of way as best I can recall but a private access road to Skelton Grange Power Station from both Cross Green and Pontefract Lane.

buffaloskinner wrote:Last time I drove down Knowsthorpe Lane was when the Power Station was still operating, it wasn't really a public right of way as best I can recall but a private access road to Skelton Grange Power Station from both Cross Green and Pontefract Lane.

Thanks for that Mr. S.

Long before the Power station there were iron works, coal mines, grand halls and granges, farms etc. I can appreciate the security needed for a power station and maybe how at times the authorities push their legal rights towards achieving this, but this area of Leeds has no real security needs nowadays, and is truly "Secret Leeds"!!!

We all love a wander at times, and would guess we have a right to do so? Anyone know?

Google streetview doesn't venture very far onto KL but the sattelite view shows it as what looks like an unmade road from Junction44 roundabout. There is an environment centre pretty much slap bang in the middle which appears to be to the side of where the cooling towers stood. http://www.tcv.org.uk/skeltongrange It doesn't say how you get to it but it has to be public access as it host school visits and conferencing. There is also public access close by as it is possible to walk/cycle close to the canal from Woodlesford to Thwaite Gate. The satelite view also shows several footpaths branching off but no indication either way of gating/fencing restricting/preventing access.

I don't know if the same applies today but when I worked at the Yorkshire Copper Works in the 60's & 70's a chain was put across Haigh Park Road one day a year to prevent it becoming a public right of way

All accessible, by bike or foot.

But use discretion if on private land.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=43 ... pp=map.srf

uncle mick wrote:I don't know if the same applies today but when I worked at the Yorkshire Copper Works in the 60's & 70's a chain was put across Haigh Park Road one day a year to prevent it becoming a public right of way

I think that is called a permissive walkway. Chritmas day seems to be a popular date for closure.

The Leeds rights of way map is at https://cms.esriuk.com/leedscc/Sites/LCCPROW/. You can drag and zoom around it like on Google Maps. Public rights of way are in black. Unrecorded routes are shown in green and can be added if there's documented evidence of 20 years' uninterrupted use. Knowsthorpe Lane still has a large substation as well as Knostrop Cut sewage works so they'll want to restrict access to a degree.

mhoulden wrote:The Leeds rights of way map is at https://cms.esriuk.com/leedscc/Sites/LCCPROW/. You can drag and zoom around it like on Google Maps. Public rights of way are in black. Unrecorded routes are shown in green and can be added if there's documented evidence of 20 years' uninterrupted use. Knowsthorpe Lane still has a large substation as well as Knostrop Cut sewage works so they'll want to restrict access to a degree.

Knowsthorpe Lane at the M1 end seems to be coloured blue and also grey!!!??

It's at this end where there's a very short grey roadway jutting south.

It appears going back on OS maps this could be a tramway embankment, frm days of old - see ironworks thread.

Thanks mr. H.

mhoulden wrote:The Leeds rights of way map is at https://cms.esriuk.com/leedscc/Sites/LCCPROW/. You can drag and zoom around it like on Google Maps. Public rights of way are in black. Unrecorded routes are shown in green and can be added if there's documented evidence of 20 years' uninterrupted use. Knowsthorpe Lane still has a large substation as well as Knostrop Cut sewage works so they'll want to restrict access to a degree.

I walked the path between the River and the canal often through thick black mud left by the floods all the way down to the M1 but could not see the fields north of the river to see if the tramway bed was still there as there is a high bank.

After all that I gave up and went home only to realise looking on maps just under the M1 is what looks to be a bridge over the river!!??

Anyone been over it? I was puzzled about why the Mighty Aire has a bridge there, but of course the M1 construction lads would have needed it. I wonder if it's closed??