SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I thought (hope!) the following Leeds tram related snippets from John Mayhall's 'Annals of Yorkshire' may be of interest.January 10 1872. "The Leeds Tramway Company obtained an injunction preventing the Corporation interfering with the highway between Leeds and Headingley in such a way as to stop the tramway traffic, as it was understood it was their intention to do. The Highways Committee of the Council, decided to give notice to the Tramway Company to pave with granite the road between Leeds and Headingley. In the event of a refusal the work would be executed by the Corporation, and the Company charged with the expense".Paving the road with granite sounds fascinating! I wonder if it was done?November 11 1874. "By the opening of the section of tramway from Boar Lane to Sheepscar and Chapeltown the Leeds system of tramways was now completed, and the company possessed 17 miles of line, divided into five branches, viz., Kirkstall, Headingley, Hunslet, Marsh Lane, and Chapeltown. This afternoon the directors of the company and a few friends passed over the line in two cars, and on the return journey the party stopped at the house of Mr. Turton, one of the directors, and were entertained by him".

Very hard wearing. I suspect it was granite sets like this Leo, and yes I think it would have been done. We still have examples of that kind of paving about. I think it can be still seen around the Calls area? It wouldn't have been the elaborate, and very expensive granite we know of today I don't think. Street surfaces needed to be more hard wearing than these days, horses hooves do more damage than soft rubber tyres.     

Cheers Phill. I had visions of a road made up of slabs of granite! It's a nice looking stone when smoothed and polished, as in the outside of some buildings in the centre of Leeds.

Leodian wrote: Cheers Phill. I had visions of a road made up of slabs of granite! It's a nice looking stone when smoothed and polished, as in the outside of some buildings in the centre of Leeds. It's a bit slippy come this time of year though, and b.t.w a few flakes of the white stuff are coming down in North Leeds at the moment.

Think I read that some parts of the Leeds tram system had wood blocks instead of granite sets to help deaden noise?snowy up here tooG'nite    

Jogon wrote: Think I read that some parts of the Leeds tram system had wood blocks instead of granite sets to help deaden noise?snowy up here tooG'nite     They be timber blocks in the Tramway 'electrical conductor' grates' I would think. They acted as insulation.

Not Leeds but, many of the strees opposite King's Cross Station still have the wooden sets / cobbles in place beneath several yayers of tarmac. I had great fun watching Murphy's / Connaught trying to get through them with the pneumatic drill attachment on their JCB’s. Old technology prevailed and they had to revert to picks and shovels.