SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

On the left coming up King Lane from Leeds at the junction of King Lane and Nursery Lane there is a rusty basin-like object. It is about 23" height, 17" width and 5" depth with the rear basin part being about 4" of that depth (I don't know how much of the object is below the surface). Much to my surprise I have not found any mention about the object on the Secret Leeds website nor the Leodis website (that may though be due to my poor searching skills!). If it works there is an image of the object taken on September 21 2010.The object has 'Borough of Leeds' on its front facing King Lane. I have found that it is almost certainly an old boundary marker. Using the Old Maps UK website I found a 'BP' (Boundary Post ?) marked at the location on the 1893 map and all the maps up to 1938 (the most recent I found on the maps website) but there is no BP marked there in the 1851 map. The 1851 map marks the area as 'Municipal and Parliamentary Boundary', a 1933/34 map states 'Parly Boro. Bdy' and the 1938 map states 'Parly Boro By'. I know that in 1927 Alwoodley became part of Leeds from the Wharfedale Rural District Council.I don't know how old the metal object is but it is rusty and the lettering seems clearly weathered. I wonder how old it is? As far as I recall it has been there since at least 1975 when I moved into Alwoodley, but I suspect it is much older than that.

Hoping that I'm not pushing my image addition success too much but (hopefully!) there is here a view of the object showing the basin-like rear. Sorry for my poor image positioning in the front-view image in my first post which seems to show a graffitied control box (presumably that is for the nearby pedestrian controlled traffic lights) which seems to be on top of the object!    

And an image taken on September 21 2010 showing the general location of the object.

Most interesting Leodian. It's a new one on me, well spotted.It would be good to find out more about it.

Bit of info regarding the Borough of Leeds...The Borough of Leeds was created in 1207, when Maurice Paynel, lord of the manor, granted a charter covering a small area adjacent to a crossing of the River Aire, between the old settlement centred on Leeds Parish Church to the east and the manor house and mills to the west. In 1626 a charter was granted by Charles I, incorporating the entire parish as the Borough of Leeds; it was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The parish and borough included the chapelries of Chapel Allerton, Armley, Beeston, Bramley, Farnley, Headingley cum Burley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Leeds, Potternewton and Wortley. The borough was located in the West Riding of Yorkshire and gained city status in 1893. When a county council was formed for the riding in 1889, Leeds was excluded from its area of responsibility and formed a county borough. The borough made a significant number of territorial expansions, expanding from 21,593 acres (87.38 km2) in 1911 to 40,612 acres (164.35 km2) in 1961; adding in stages the former area of the Roundhay, Seacroft, Shadwell and Middleton parishes and gaining other parts of adjacent districts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ikbrunels/3875215693/This photo was taken on August 31, 2009.

Ive passed this every week for the past tenyears and never even noticed it was there!And heres me telling all the family to be more observant of there surroundings lol Ps/ I passed the cloth hall this morning dropping her indoorsoff for work.Man! They have been busy looks to me like its mostly all down now and if im not mistaken you can now see the skull's building through from kirkgate.    

Phill.DYour condensed account of the historical boundary structure of Leeds is brilliant. I'm a surveyor from Western Australia (only 180 years old-the state that is) and being originally from Wortley find the changes to the Leeds historical cadastre fascinating . Thanks Phill your input to the site is invaluable. Big digresssion:- While I've got you Phill,-Thanks for your reply to my question re. "Who Live at Leeds"- Hill 60 thread a long tme ago.The Aussie version record cover shows the boys doing it in a park in the open air at Rounday Park!- obviously wrong.I'm just going to visit my fridge.Andy

Brandy wrote: Ive passed this every week for the past tenyears and never even noticed it was there!And heres me telling all the family to be more observant of there surroundings lol Ps/ I passed the cloth hall this morning dropping her indoorsoff for work.Man! They have been busy looks to me like its mostly all down now and if im not mistaken you can now see the skull's building through from kirkgate.     In view of it being metal I am surprised that nobody has pinched it, yet! It was disturbed a bit during work on the traffic lights some while ago and was put back but not quite upright.I saw yesterday what is left of the Cloth Hall, which is not a lot! I wonder what is going to be done with the site in due course?

pashy2 wrote: Phill.DYour condensed account of the historical boundary structure of Leeds is brilliant. I'm a surveyor from Western Australia (only 180 years old-the state that is) and being originally from Wortley find the changes to the Leeds historical cadastre fascinating . Thanks Phill your input to the site is invaluable. Big digresssion:- While I've got you Phill,-Thanks for your reply to my question re. "Who Live at Leeds"- Hill 60 thread a long tme ago.The Aussie version record cover shows the boys doing it in a park in the open air at Rounday Park!- obviously wrong.I'm just going to visit my fridge.Andy Hehe many thanks Pashy.But i can't take credit for the Leeds boundry low down. That was a copy & paste job from another website. The Who Live at Leeds photo i can take credit for.Enjoy your beer