Hunslet to Knostrop by foot

Fern Girl · Post by **Fern Girl** » Thu 22 Dec, 2011 3:35 pm

Love this site - never posted - here goes. 'I am a Victorian man (circa 1875) who works at Butterley Street, Hunslet at a valve maunufacturers and am going to escape the din one afternoon and take a walk out to Knostrop Old Hall.' LPI've been studying the maps of the time and can see a route for this guy, but I am wondering if any of you experts of the time would know of a journey taking him past some interesting buildings, places, pubs and whether there was a perhaps a smaller walk bridge to cross the Aire directly further south?I'm still researching on the online tithe maps and the hunslet remembered site which have both been really fantastic - but there's nothing like asking people who know!

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Fri 23 Dec, 2011 8:40 pm

Suggest you treat yourself to 'City Lights: A Street Life' by the late Keith Waterhouse.Waterhouse is a product of Hunslet.http://www.amazon.co.uk/City-Lights-Str ... 994&sr=8-2

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Fri 23 Dec, 2011 8:57 pm

Fern Girl wrote: 'I am wondering if any of you experts of the time would know of a journey taking him past some interesting buildings, places, pubs and whether there was a perhaps a smaller walk bridge to cross the Aire directly further south? Old maps shows the situation.After south accomodation bridge there's no apparent foot crossing.There's not just the aire, there's the canal and a second cutting of the aire to get over. A railway crossed but nothing by foot.As far as i can see?

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 10:25 am

hicklingmick wrote: IN the 50:s my dad had a lock up garage at thwaite gate I can remember walking down to the river there and crossing either the river or canal by a wooden bridge but I dont know if you finished up on the far bank or on a island. I should have thought that this may be too far down river on the maps it looks like to an island Mick.

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 11:29 am

The Parksider wrote: hicklingmick wrote: IN the 50:s my dad had a lock up garage at thwaite gate I can remember walking down to the river there and crossing either the river or canal by a wooden bridge but I dont know if you finished up on the far bank or on a island. I should have thought that this may be too far down river on the maps it looks like to an island Mick. It is an island. Thwaite Gate leads first to the Aire & Calder Navigation, crossed these days by a brick built bridge. The River Aire has diverged at Knostrop Lock which is about a quarter-mile in the Leeds direction, and flows on the far side of Thwaites Mill, (now a museum). As a canal boater, I'm familiar with Thwaites Mill, as two or three times a year I'm involved in providing cruises to the public from there, but not so familiar to know whether there's another bridge across the river somewhere behind Thwaites Mill to access the mainland again.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 3:38 pm

Uno Hoo wrote: It is an island. Thwaite Gate leads first to the Aire & Calder Navigation, crossed these days by a brick built bridge. The River Aire has diverged at Knostrop Lock which is about a quarter-mile in the Leeds direction, and flows on the far side of Thwaites Mill, (now a museum). As a canal boater, I'm familiar with Thwaites Mill, as two or three times a year I'm involved in providing cruises to the public from there, but not so familiar to know whether there's another bridge across the river somewhere behind Thwaites Mill to access the mainland again. Having found nothing on older maps, looking at Google there seems to be a couple of gantries carrying piperwork across the river???But for me the answer is you could not cross the river beyond south accomodation road in Leeds by foot in the old days. today there's a modern bridge beyond the Museum at Thwaite Gate.Skelton somethingorother runs across it

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 8:48 pm

http://atkinsongrimshaw.org/painting-At ... e.htmlHope these help to give you a visual. JAG did well enough to rent the Old Hall and have a pad in Scarboro' too.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 9:07 pm

User Nickname woody knew a lot about the area:- mother lived at Knostrop old hallhttp://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messages.aspx ... Message=25

Fern Girl · Post by **Fern Girl** » Sat 24 Dec, 2011 9:14 pm

This is all great. Thanks.I've see the way the Aire has altered since the 1870s and know the island you are talking of. Grimmy did a painting of Knostrop Cut and it looks quite flat and industrial. I went to see the site of Knostrop Old Hall on my last visit to Leeds (now beneath a car park/industrial estate) but can't help wondering how it would have been then if he'd looked out of his window over to the Aire. Fields? The tannery near the river? The paintings give a clue but he did use a large amount of artistic licence in his pictures of the Hall - embellished it with oriel windows etc. The exhibition this year in Harrogate was great for all this kind of info.I'll order the book too of the walks that was recommended - a Grimshaw on the front too.The other option for my (character's)imaginary walk is that this person gets a ferry. I've spotted a 'ferry' marked on some of the old maps down by the old rope walk? I'm going to look carefully. Would a member of the public be able to use such a ferry I wonder? On that note .... Happy Xmas!

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Mon 26 Dec, 2011 1:56 am

Dunno if this is a strange coincidence but this Fern Girl character says 'Silverdale' is her location and someone recommended she buy 'City Lights' by Keith Waterhouse, is it Keith Waterhouse or Alan Bennett who writes about going to Silverdale with the Leeds Childrens Holiday Charity? I thought maybe Alan Bennett was too posh? Might be both of them were there at the same time? Did you ever see them there Fern Girl?! Ho ho ho!