Famous Sons of Leeds

farbank · Post by **farbank** » Fri 03 Aug, 2007 6:36 pm

Famous sons of Leeds obviously means 'famous in their own time', according to the names I've read so far.All except one are pop stars, authors, actors etc. Doesn't anyone out there, except 'Chameleon' of course, know of anyone who never kicked a football, shouted into a microphone or ponced about in front of a camera.?To name a few worthies to start off. How about John Smeaton, Joe Aspdin, Louis Le Prince, Lord Darnley, Jos. Priestley, et al:Maybe one or two were not actually 'born' in Leeds. But their discoveries/inventions, certainly made them into Famous sons of Leeds.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 9:42 pm

What about the legendary John Fowler of traction engine fame?

munki · Post by **munki** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 8:22 am

farbank wrote: Famous sons of Leeds obviously means 'famous in their own time', according to the names I've read so far.All except one are pop stars, authors, actors etc. Doesn't anyone out there, except 'Chameleon' of course, know of anyone who never kicked a football, shouted into a microphone or ponced about in front of a camera.?To name a few worthies to start off. How about John Smeaton, Joe Aspdin, Louis Le Prince, Lord Darnley, Jos. Priestley, et al:Maybe one or two were not actually 'born' in Leeds. But their discoveries/inventions, certainly made them into Famous sons of Leeds. Give us some details!!Priestley I know from the statue on City Square, where he looks like he is about to serve in a game of ping-pong. Apparently, he 'invented' oxygen. Life must have been very difficult before then, so he deserves some recognition!I know the name John Smeaton from a school & a Kaiser Chiefs song. What did he do to deserve such notoriety?Who was Joe Aspdin? Was he the concrete man?

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 8:58 am

munki wrote: farbank wrote: Famous sons of Leeds obviously means 'famous in their own time', according to the names I've read so far.All except one are pop stars, authors, actors etc. Doesn't anyone out there, except 'Chameleon' of course, know of anyone who never kicked a football, shouted into a microphone or ponced about in front of a camera.?To name a few worthies to start off. How about John Smeaton, Joe Aspdin, Louis Le Prince, Lord Darnley, Jos. Priestley, et al:Maybe one or two were not actually 'born' in Leeds. But their discoveries/inventions, certainly made them into Famous sons of Leeds. Give us some details!!Priestley I know from the statue on City Square, where he looks like he is about to serve in a game of ping-pong. Apparently, he 'invented' oxygen. Life must have been very difficult before then, so he deserves some recognition!I know the name John Smeaton from a school & a Kaiser Chiefs song. What did he do to deserve such notoriety?Who was Joe Aspdin? Was he the concrete man? John Smeaton was a civil engineer born in Authsthorpe. He is famous for designing the Eddystone Lighthouse, one of the first to be built using stone rather than wood. He also designed canals, bridges and harbours, workign on the Calber and Hebble Navigation in Yorkshire. Think he did some work designing waterwheels also especially the axles and the castings.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 9:01 am

Aspidin was the cement guy. Think it was Portland Cement he accidentally invented but not sure what the accident was!

munki · Post by **munki** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 9:21 am

The idea of 'accidentally' inventing Portland Cement does seem quite fraught with risk (and with comic potential)!

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 9:28 am

munki wrote: The idea of 'accidentally' inventing Portland Cement does seem quite fraught with risk (and with comic potential)! I imagine the potintial for explosion with the lime is great. Wikipedia has a good article on Joe, but doesn't explain how he actually came about finding the formula. I do remember Adam Hart-Davis doing something about him though on one of his TV progs.

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 1:30 pm

I think it was probably a case of discovery by trial and error rather than accident. Joseph Aspdin came from a family of bricklayers and followed in the family business. It's probable that he had been experimenting for a few years before he filed his patent. Quite a lot of info on the net on him. I wonder if there is a blue plaque to him in Leeds?Famous sons of Leeds are remembered all around us today. Lots of roads and buildings are named after them. Marshall Street, Ingram Distributor, Gotts Park, Gotts Road, John Smeaton school, Matthew Murray school, Ralph Thoresby School etc etc.

munki · Post by **munki** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 1:45 pm

This is up inside the Town Hall. The text reads...IN MEMORY OF JOSEPH ASPDINOF LEEDS, STONEMASON1779-1855WHOSE INVENTION OF PORTLAND CEMENT, PATENTED 21ST OCTOBER 1824 FOLLOWED BY A CENTURY OF IMPROVEMENT IN ITS MANUFACTURE AND USE HAS MADE THE WHOLE WORLD HIS DEBTOR.THIS TABLET WAS PRESENTED BY THE AMERICAN PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE UNITED CELEBRATION WITH THE BRITISH CEMENT MAKERS FEDERATION OF THE CENTENNIAL OF THE INVENTION, OCTOBER 1924.No disrepect to the dead, but do we really think that the whole world in his debt to the man who invented concrete?Also, the Centennial of Invention of Cement Celebration sounds fun, doesn't it!?!