Mystery Bridge in Pudsey

jim · Post by **jim** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 4:28 pm

The one that always puzzled me was just to the east of Farnley and Wortley Station, south of Whitehall Road, over the "viaduct line" into Leeds. Coordinates 427700, 43200 on "old-maps" will locate it.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 5:10 pm

I can't seem to get old-maps to work. Do you mean the bridge visible form here: http://goo.gl/maps/R9DXE or the snicket that starts opposite Lowfields Road or somewhere else?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 5:15 pm

This one Jim?There was a mineral tramway from Manor Pit that connected to Farnley fireclay.

jim · Post by **jim** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 6:20 pm

Thanks for your posts Barfly and Phill, the bridge I refer to was in between the suggestions you offer! I assumed (wrongly) that Barfly's picture showed the Gelderd Road entrance to the footpath which led from opposite Lowfields Road to a footbridge over the L&NWR "new" line (now demolished) known to young trainspotters of the 1950s as Highfield crossing, and then to Whitehall Road from which a long footbridge crossed the L&NWR "old" line to Wortley Rec. The footpath remains, although now with a short diversion round some land now taken over to expand Search's yard on the site of the now vanished railway.The bridge I speak of was in place right up to c1970, and was wide enough to take a minor road, but was boarded up when I knew it. It appears on all maps of large enough scale to show it from the 1890s to the 1970s. It was around 400 yards from the bridge Phill refers to, and possibly 150 yards from the footbridge crossingEdited.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 6:39 pm

Ah, what I was trying to show was the path under the railway that goes over the arches. Sadly it's blocked by security fences now.

jim · Post by **jim** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 7:07 pm

Sorry Barfly, I didn't check the view you posted properly, and assumed it was of the footpath further along Gelderd Road near the next railway bridge west, and on the north side of the road. I didn't know of the one you indicated, and it must qualify as yet another of the odd bridges that this thread is dealing with!

jim · Post by **jim** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 7:23 pm

jim wrote: Edited.

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 7:51 pm

jim wrote: In general, when a new railway was to be built, the Act would specify that where an existing right of way or land in single ownership was to be cut, a bridge or crossing had to be provided. This may have been the case here. Thanks, I thought that was the case. The 1852 map doesn't show a track just some fields, so presumably they were in single ownership. Given that they were accessible by other roads I wonder if the Railway Company tried to pay off the owner first before going to the expense of a bridge.

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Sun 08 Sep, 2013 7:53 pm

Hang on, looking again, it was a single field, i've mistaken a contour for a boundary.