SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

hi dose anyone remember cider annie,people from all over leeds used to go to pudsey to buy her cider.she had a house down the jib,sadley she died many years ago but a lot of people still talk about her and her cider,it must of been good stuff as my dad and his mates used to walk from bramley,or go up on their scooters,was this because it was good stuff,or was this because they wernt old enough to go to the pub.

I remember Cider Annie's shop, but don't remember it being open. It was at the bottom of Bradley Lane, called Delph End, but known to locals as "the Gib", pronounced as written by Dr Martin, above. There used to be a worsted mill there, called Gibraltar Mills - long gone. My brother and I used the Gib as a short-cut to ride our motorbikes down to Black Carr Woods - "The Valley." I don't remember buying any cider at Annie's (it does that to the memory. )    

My mates and I used to go to Annie's, usually getting off the bus from Pudsey to Calverley - Ledgard, of course, Blakey, and cut down a ginnel between houses at Waterloo to get there. I think she was a very naive woman, as the shop was an off-licence, and we lads were very obviously under age, but she'd sell us cigarettes and beer/cider, which she'd open for us, and then chat while we drank it in the shop. She sometimes went out to feed her hens, and I'm ashamed to say we'd nick Mars Bars and such in her absence. I don't recall ever seeing an adult in the shop. I never heard the epithet "Cider Annie" either, and certainly didn't know of her wider fame until I read this thread tonight.Many years later I read in the 'Pudsey News' that she'd been prosecuted for breaching her off-licence conditions, and was fined. Don't know whether she lost her licence as well. Her full name was published, and it was certainly Anne, but I don't recall her surname.

the mill is still down the gib (ill spell it correct this time) it now sells marbel. the kids still go down on motor-bikes,but get cleard off verry quick by the councel on their bikes.i dont think the water treatment works is still active,but you can still have lots of fun down there.if you go walking througe the trees next to tyersel path there is the old tarzen swing,im 36 and i have a go when im down there with the dog.a bit dangerous though,if you fell off and hurt yourself youd be there for days till someone comes along. speaking of the gib,fantastic to walk around,miles and miles of contry side and of corse green side tunnel,you can still get through,happy days.

Hi Dr Martin,I spent many happy hours down there as a kid. I've mentioned it on another thread before - can't remember which. North of the railway embankment was known by us as the Gib, and south was simply the Valley. The filters on the water treatment plant never seemed to work so well. Everytime we crossed the beck on our bikes, the spokes would be entangled with johnnies!There are also some photos taken by Phill-d of Greenside Tunnel on here somewhere. I Googled Cider Annie, and found a picture of the shop, taken in Victorian times. There was a picture of "Pudsey Castle" too. Apparently, it was the owner of Gibraltar Mills' house, and had battlements around the roof, but it no longer exists. Despite growing up in Pudsey, I'd never heard of it before.    

"Pudsey Castle," above the disused quarry overlooking the Gib. It appears that we can post pictures in the normal way again.     

ive herd of this castle before,my mate dave wanted to borrow my metal detctor to have a scout around in the area where he thought the castle was,he told me it was other side of the old railway embankment toward black carr wood,but that area was smalewell quarry, the photo shown by si seems to be on the top of the gib overlooking towards tyersell, if this is so the councell would have spoilt any remaining footings from the castle as they used a field on the top of the gib for a landfill site,they tipped household waste there for about three years.

Yes, I think it's overlooking the Gib, too. If it had been the other side of the embankment at the top of The Banks, there would be some remains, and I would certainly know of them. As it is, there is no evidence of any building up there. The foreground in the picture looks disturbed, like a disused quarry, unlike The Banks.

My dad used to take us to Cider Annie's, I seem to remember we took country paths and walked through the woods and emerged at her cottage as I recall it ... we walked from 72 Tyersal Road, and I see Gibraltar Lane, can anyone point out where her place was?

Hi all, I was born on the kitchen table at 44 Moorhouse place, Pudsey. and remember cider annie very well. She was called Annie Jones, and she wrote a book of memoirs called Valley of memories, by Cider Annie. My Grandfather also lived at moorhouse place (also called delph end, the Moorhouse place sign is on the end of my grandfathers old house). Both families rented the houses from Stanley Verity. My best friend Alan Oates lived at the Castle house with his sister and brother Denise and Stephen, and parents Ronnie and Joyce. My name is Philip Whitley, born 18/07/52, My parents were David and Marjorie whitley(nee Robinson from leyton E10) My grandparents were John(willy) and Ethel, She was a pastry cook, and he had a butchers sop in Laisterdyke. My father was an electrician at Harry Worths, and later at YEB Bradford. If anyone has a copy of Cider Annies book, I would love to read it, Mainly to see if i'm in it! I don't know if Verity's also owned Annies shop, at any rate after she retired, Brian Verity lived there with his wife (I knew Brian as well, often the leader of our little gang) I left Pudsey (very unwillingly) in 1961 and moved to Bridlington. I now live in Driffield, and Work in Langtoft, East Yorkshire.