Hunslet to Knostrop by foot

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 2:00 pm

More likely Bennett - he wasn't posh as a child. I think his dad was manager of a Co-op butcher's shop.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 3:07 pm

I recommended to her the Keith Waterhouse book City Lights, his autobiography - and now you mentioned it at page 4 he does mention going to Silverdale Poor kids holiday camp.Well spotted.I suggested the book 'cos he was a Hunslet Boy.Waterhouse had a much poorer childhood (than Bennett) Hunslet Slums>rehoused to Middleton 'flat'>Halton Moor.Bennett's Dad was a Co-Op Butcher then had his own (now a dry cleaner) up by the Three Horseshoes http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2730449

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 3:36 pm

Yep, and Alan Bennett was a grammar school boy wasnt he? Mind you lots of young lads went to grammar schools then if they passed the tests. Its been years since I read 'City Lights', I've a copy of it somewhere, its a great piece of Leeds social history written by a proper working class Leeds lad. Of course I dont mean to knock any of Mr Bennetts fine work, but I do prefer the work of Keith Waterhouse. Billy Liar was one of our GCSE texts and I fell in love with his writing while a schoolboy. And then we saw the film with the lovely Julie Christie who as you know plays the footloose and fancy free 'Mucky Liz'... - Cor, what a smashing lass she was! Far classier than your Pamela Andersons' and Jordans' that play the lead role in contemporary young lads's wet dreams... Our high school English teacher Mr Aubrey claims he once went on a date with her....? I dont know if this was true or just his imagination running away with itself. He did have a kind of 'Donald Sutherland' kind of look about him... I'd love to know if it was true.

Fern Girl · Post by **Fern Girl** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 3:59 pm

I'll have to get hold of the Waterhouse book - sounds interesting - yep I live only a stone's throw from Leeds Children's Camp and it's still going strong as far as I can see. It must have been an amazing place for the poor of Leeds to experience as children - the view across the bay is amazing as are all the coves and woods around. There's a book on its history in our local library - something like 'Now I can ride a horse' based on the letters of the kids who came here. Many of them still holiday here at the various caravan parks so its not uncommon to hear a Leeds accent hereabouts!

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 9:46 pm

I remember early 1980's Mums waving off their kids, bless. As in Keith Waterhouse days this was run from the building where Portland Crescent joined great George St.Before:-"Leeds's Mandela Gardens, south-east corner of Millennium Square, a flagship project set up to mark the year 2000 at the cost of around £12m. TWELVE MILLION lifted from Taxpayers.Excluding horrendous annual maintenance costs.Bit expensive for such a small non-place. When did you last use them?Better spent, perhaps, on Leeds underpriv kids?Ok I'm climbing down off my soap box, where's my pills?

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Tue 27 Dec, 2011 11:10 am

£12m was the cost of the Milllenium Square development that bulldozed the original Mandela gardens in front of City Hall and shunted it down the street to be the plants on the street corner, not the cost of the plants on that corner. http://www.leodis.org/display.aspx?reso ... SPLAY=FULL

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Tue 27 Dec, 2011 3:59 pm

Ho ho! Mandela Gardens? I remember going to see Nelson Mandela in Millenium Square when he did a short speech thanking the people of 'Liverpool' for dedicating the gardens in his name!! I mean of all the places in Leeds to call Leeds 'Liverpool'! Right in front of him was Leeds Civic Hall, to the right of him was Leeds Civic Theatre (now the museum), to the left of him was Leeds General Infirmary and behind him was Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds City Library and Leeds Town Hall!!!!

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Wed 28 Dec, 2011 6:18 pm

Perhaps it was Charlie Williams after all.

p · Post by p » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 10:14 pm

Sorry to dig this thread back up but was searching about Knowsthorpe and came across this, I remember in the 80s and 90s there was a road what went over the river Aire behind Hunslet Mills to a Shell petrol depot roughly where the Cement depot is now in Knowsthorpe. It's no longer there but was this road always around up until it's demolition in the 90s? If so then this could be another more direct way to go from Hunslet to Knowsthrope. Additionally, Skelton Grange Road just off Pontefract Road at Stourton runs over the river Aire to Knowsthorpe Lane where the old power station used to be. Maybe this could be another route taken from Hunslet as it's close to Stourton.Knowsthorpe Lane is a bit of an enigma to me, It's always been a private road but when I was a kid I used to walk down it from Cross Green without being stopped by anybody, can the public walk on this road? I know the road through Esholt treatment works is accessible by walkers from Yeadon (Esholt Woods/Warm Lane has a stile on it from the service road through Esholt and YW have said walkers can use the road to access Rawdon/Apperley Bridge or Esholt), hopefully this road can be walked on as it's looks to be a good alternative route for accessing Temple Newsam, I bet it's much quieter than the A63 Pontefract Lane and safer than going through Halton Moor. I know Knowsthorpe Lane passes the sewage works but so too does the A63 plus the route through Halton Moor runs close by so you can't avoid the smell.

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Mon 22 Oct, 2012 10:26 pm

The western end into the sewage works has a pass operated barrier. Dont know about other end.