The Blackmoor Tunnel

[rikj]

There's no mystery about where the three named shafts are, photos of Verity's and Johnson's shafts back up the thread. There was a fourth shaft, named King Lane shaft, that only appears on some maps.I'll try and put a link to a full size scan of the tunnel line, not sure if this will work.http://www.imagebam.com/image/0af96b1810963The map is from 1850 so the housing now surrounding the shafts isn't there. You can have fun working it out!LS1, although the map is a bit blurred at full size you can see the curved conduit that passes through the site of Mill Fall cottages. Wonder if that has anything to do with what you saw?The next map is from 1833 and shows the named shafts, housing starting to develop and the King Lane shaft. But not the line of the tunnel, or the conduit.http://www.imagebam.com/image/ab17ff1858165If you looked inside a shaft you would see a manhole with a substantial A-frame, presumably for access via rope, or maybe ladder and lifeline.LS1 again, the tunnel pre-dates the tearoom by quite a while I think. The tunnel was built in the 1840s, Mrs Verity started working at the teashop in 1901. But, as you said earlier there could well be a local family connection going back to the construction of the tunnel. If the Verity family were at Mill Fall cottage in the 1840s they could well have been providing food for the tunnel workers.

[LS1]

Rikj, could be something to do with it I guess. I might pop down over the weekend when I can get there in the light and get pics etc. The are some intersting things in Adel woods to do with the tunnel, such as the filtration works etc. There are some strange rocks also at one point, I forget exactly where, near where the Mill Race was for Mill Farm I think. All laid out neatly like something off Easter Island. Woder if they are tunnel related or if they are for something else. How far does Blackmoor run from Scotland Mill (site of)?......

[rikj]

LS1, the end of the Tunnel at Seven Arches is a little over half a mile from Scotland Mill, as the crow flies that is.Have a look at this photo LS1, is it the place that was bricked up and has now been filled in? It's only just along from the well. We were scratching our heads as to what it was and the only thing we could come up with was the remains of an icehouse for the farm.http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikj/97319 ... m/Starting to wonder now if it's the remains of the western, shorter conduit. Seems a bit of overkill on the engineering though.EDIT. Going back and looking at the 1850 map a couple of posts back the conduit runs to the east of Mill Fall cottages and so is in about the right place, though would need to go and have another look.    

[LS1]

Do you know I think that is it, it's how I remember it, but originally the lintel things were not strewn about about 10 years ago so it looks like someone has tried to get in to it by pulling the roof of! Not sure if it goes down very far though!!

[LS1]

Rikj, I meant in terms of the tunnel itself on its way into Leeds, does it run past Scotland Mill. when it crosses the ring road (at work at the moment and no access to my maps!)As an aside- anyone any ideas of history of layout of Scotland Mill. It's so overgrown these days I cant tell!

[chameleon]

A very clear description rikj - vague memories can cloud reality! At last I can put nthe right names to the right holes and the whole layout is making more sense - thank you.

[The Parksider]

rikj wrote: The map is from 1850 so the housing now surrounding the shafts isn't there. You can have fun working it out!LS1 again, the tunnel pre-dates the tearoom by quite a while I think. The tunnel was built in the 1840s, Mrs Verity started working at the teashop in 1901. But, as you said earlier there could well be a local family connection going back to the construction of the tunnel. If the Verity family were at Mill Fall cottage in the 1840s they could well have been providing food for the tunnel workers. Thanks for the thread and the info. What perplexes me is how the water got from the end of seven arches to weetwood and what may remain that "half" of the run.Any ideas.A straight steal from Steven Burt, Mrs. Verity"arrived at Mill fall mill" (hard to imagine a flax mill built in the woods - hardly a trace remains) "in 1901". Her husband was killd falling off a roof he was mending and her son was disabled. She always had a foul expression and under her cap was a lumpy head which scared the kids. Her first excursion out of the woods would seem to be in the 1950's when she had to have an urgent operation at the Infirmary!!The woods were a pleasure walk for many years of course so a walk down them knowing all the activities there from bunkers, mills (inc. Scotland Mill) and waterworks infrastructure is fascinating....Plus the spooky old kids home above the woods.............

[The Parksider]

rikj wrote: Yes, you can still see what I assume to be the conduit immediately south of the aqueduct. I'm guessing that it might still contain live pipes. I think there was also another aqueduct spanning what is now the ring road, up near the current cricket ground. Keep meaning to have a look to see if there are any signs of it still remaining in terms of stones lying around. Yes RikJ I imposed the 1850 map on latest map which shows the conduit as it travels from seven arches, over to a second aqueduct across a tributary stream and on to the meanwood valley hillside and down across to weetwood.As others have said, on Google earth you can see a line in the grass in the fields following the culvert which is very like a time team geophys survey. The grass is slightly different in colour and I bet that's because the culvert is underneath it.The grass line cutsacross the fields in the same was as the culvert plan does - I think the field boundaries have changed little in 160 years there.It would be super if a trench was dug!!! Spades anyone?The conduit seems to bend round where the cricket field is and where the ring road is the aquaduct crosses onto the hillside of fox hills. Tthere was a stream flowing down there and much is covered and conduited itself by Ring Road works.I agree with you - the hillside in those woods opposite the cricket ground (up from smithy mills this is too low for weetwood, the conduit is built to the contours of the land so the water can flow naturally down to weetwood) should have some sort of trace of the southern end of the second aqueduct and conduit on to weetwood.You been to see yet Rik?? I will try to go this week - I'd expect the remains to be about level with the height of the cricket pitch wouldn't you?Go halves on a JCB?

[chameleon]

The Parksider wrote: rikj wrote: Yes, you can still see what I assume to be the conduit immediately south of the aqueduct. I'm guessing that it might still contain live pipes. I think there was also another aqueduct spanning what is now the ring road, up near the current cricket ground. Keep meaning to have a look to see if there are any signs of it still remaining in terms of stones lying around. Yes RikJ I imposed the 1850 map on latest map which shows the conduit as it travels from seven arches, over to a second aqueduct across a tributary stream and on to the meanwood valley hillside and down across to weetwood.As others have said, on Google earth you can see a line in the grass in the fields following the culvert which is very like a time team geophys survey. The grass is slightly different in colour and I bet that's because the culvert is underneath it.The grass line cutsacross the fields in the same was as the culvert plan does - I think the field boundaries have changed little in 160 years there.It would be super if a trench was dug!!! Spades anyone?The conduit seems to bend round where the cricket field is and where the ring road is the aquaduct crosses onto the hillside of fox hills. Tthere was a stream flowing down there and much is covered and conduited itself by Ring Road works.I agree with you - the hillside in those woods opposite the cricket ground (up from smithy mills this is too low for weetwood, the conduit is built to the contours of the land so the water can flow naturally down to weetwood) should have some sort of trace of the southern end of the second aqueduct and conduit on to weetwood.You been to see yet Rik?? I will try to go this week - I'd expect the remains to be about level with the height of the cricket pitch wouldn't you?Go halves on a JCB? Could always just tell Phill there's a tunnel buried there.... and stand well back!! (sorry Phill!).Seriously though, do you think we'd get a way with a 'test trench'?

[The Parksider]

chameleon wrote: Could always just tell Phill there's a tunnel buried there.... and stand well back!! (sorry Phill!).Seriously though, do you think we'd get a way with a 'test trench'? there's every chance the culvert is still there - it would have been expensive and valueless the victorians digging it up. Not sure about ploughing depths and how deep the tunnel may be.AS FOR THE VIADUCT I parked up in a cul de sac first right up adel lane (WOW what a cul-de sac) and went to see if I could find the second aqueduct.The original crossroads was weetwood lane, smithy mills lane, long causeway and adel lane. Now the weetwood lane and ring road junction dominates.Built into the walls here are two large stones which say Alderman Martin gave the land at the crossroads to the city to stay undeveloped for people to enjoy. However they seem to have just run a great ring road through what was "Martin Close".Over the ring road near Tethers end which I assume was Weetwood farm, and there you see the stream the aqueduct crossed coming out from it's tunnel under the ring road.At that point there's an entrance to the woods on the south side of the stream and you go over the bridge and sharp left down the wide stone steps and take the track nearest the stream as it tumbles towards Meanwood beck and Smithy Mills.After a short walk the track moves a little away from the stream and over the ring road you see the cricket ground.In the woods are remains of old walls - pretty consistent in their make up and stone sizes. However straight across the track is a double course of much larger stones heading straight to the stream.The hillside (Fox Hill) is steep there, but following the line of stones you see the hillside has collapsed as though it's been roughly dug out.I can only guess this is what remains of the second Aqueduct that was possibly stone built and cut into the hillside below foxhills.When you look around there are enough later Victorian stone houses to assume that every dressed stone of the old aqueduct would have been taken for building - it's valuable stuff.I worked with some demolition guys who pulled down stone mill buildings and I asked how much the contract was. they told me they PAID the developer £3K to pull the buildings down on the proviso the stone was theirs!!!Where the structure would have tied into the hillside they (the victorian builders) appear to have removed all that stone and so you see (I think) how the hillside is cut back at that point.Anyway loved the little field trip, and found something that I'd be delighted if anyone else would have a look too. I give it my best educated guess I have found the remains of the aqueduct - but obviously crave a bit of agreement.The culvert carried on round that hillside gently faling down to weetwood. It would have been cut through at many a point for developments, and i wonder if it shows itself anywhere else.To trace it would take a lot of time and a lot of garden creeping!!! maybe when I retire............