SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

You may have noticed they have started building at the bottom of Quarry Hill, near the Playhouse. This is going to be a hotel.I work nearby and we've been told that this work 'has been delayed due to the discovery of a major low pressure gas main. Sophisticated radar senses were uable to detect the presence of this during earlier surveys'.Just though folks may be interested to know this, I know there's been debate on here about gas mains and other pipes and service tunnels around Quarry House, bus station and the Woodpecker area.

sazzle wrote: You may have noticed they have started building at the bottom of Quarry Hill, near the Playhouse. This is going to be a hotel.I work nearby and we've been told that this work 'has been delayed due to the discovery of a major low pressure gas main. Sophisticated radar senses were uable to detect the presence of this during earlier surveys'.Just though folks may be interested to know this, I know there's been debate on here about gas mains and other pipes and service tunnels around Quarry House, bus station and the Woodpecker area. I would assume its out of use though?

I'm supprised they can find anything on that site let alone a burried gas main. Have you sen the amount of re-enforced concrete thats been dug up. I presume it's from when Quarry Hill got flattened, they must have cleared the site with a 12" layer of top soil.Out of sight out of mind eh.

I don't know if the gas main is out of use or not. Actually I always thought there wasn't a gas supply to central Leeds? I remember being told there was no gas supply to prevent massive explosions if Leeds was bombed.I'm not sure how high Quarry Hill was before the flats were built? I always wondered if most of the hill was made up of the rubble from the flats. I know that very few trees survive up past the Playhouse towards Quarry House, and I always presumed that's because there wasn't much soil, just rubble, and beneath that plague victims.

sazzle wrote: I don't know if the gas main is out of use or not. Actually I always thought there wasn't a gas supply to central Leeds? I remember being told there was no gas supply to prevent massive explosions if Leeds was bombed.I'm not sure how high Quarry Hill was before the flats were built? I always wondered if most of the hill was made up of the rubble from the flats. I know that very few trees survive up past the Playhouse towards Quarry House, and I always presumed that's because there wasn't much soil, just rubble, and beneath that plague victims. The supply of gas in leeds was prolific from the 1800's sazzle, indeed there were several gas works producing the old 'town gas' including one on York Street. The area adjacent to Quarry Hill had a couple of the old Victorian gas holders surviving until relatively recent times. The existence of old mains around there is not too surprising.Such was the dependance upon gas that during a strike by the gas workers in 1890, it is said some 10 000 people were made idle when supplies ran out, leaving the town in total darkness for several days.

Quarry Hill had its own gas holder supplying the flats this was situated in Stainburn Square, demolished when the flats closed. The main gas works in Leeds were Meadow Lane and New Wortley, Meadow Lane closed in 1975 after conversion to natural gas, New Wortley closed in 1969, this produced gas from coal.

geoffb wrote: Quarry Hill had its own gas holder supplying the flats this was situated in Stainburn Square, demolished when the flats closed. The main gas works in Leeds were Meadow Lane and New Wortley, Meadow Lane closed in 1975 after conversion to natural gas, New Wortley closed in 1969, this produced gas from coal. A very dirty and smelly process that was too, particularly if the coal was 'dirty', releasing a considerable quantity of sulphur as well as the combustuable mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide with that very disinctive pong!

chameleon wrote: geoffb wrote: Quarry Hill had its own gas holder supplying the flats this was situated in Stainburn Square, demolished when the flats closed. The main gas works in Leeds were Meadow Lane and New Wortley, Meadow Lane closed in 1975 after conversion to natural gas, New Wortley closed in 1969, this produced gas from coal. A very dirty and smelly process that was too, particularly if the coal was 'dirty', releasing a considerable quantity of sulphur as well as the combustuable mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide with that very disinctive pong! tell me about it, worked at Tingley gasworks as an apprentice engineer, the process produced as a by product, ammonia liquor, coal tar, benzene, cyanides, sulphor dioxide to name a few. All now classed as dangerous or carcegenic. Great memories though and superb team sprit

'ammonia liquor, coal tar, benzene' - I bet you nvr had a blocked-up nose with all these!I do remember the Meadow Lane plant and even though it must have subsited until natural gas arrived, I quite forgot it must still have been there. My memory is as a very small person, this very busy and large plant, pipes, steam, smoke and especially at night, lights everywhere.

chameleon wrote: 'ammonia liquor, coal tar, benzene' - I bet you nvr had a blocked-up nose with all these!I do remember the Meadow Lane plant and even though it must have subsited until natural gas arrived, I quite forgot it must still have been there. My memory is as a very small person, this very busy and large plant, pipes, steam, smoke and especially at night, lights everywhere. never a blocked head, worked at meadow lane in early seventies, this was a totally different process where Naphtha (a very light hydrocarbon) was reforformed, and enriched with methane or LPG to produce town gas, this had no smell so a sulphor substitute was injected, yes night shift was interesting, as you say lots of steam and lights.