Coal Mines in Leeds

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Thu 18 Jun, 2009 10:01 pm

The Parksider wrote: [today I'll go see if I can find Calverley Colliery! Tried the woods as suggested. Found all sorts - see other thread.On return can't even find a reference to a Calverley Colliery - anyone recall where this came from??The Pudsey Colliery was at Greenside. I'll see if I can trace that.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Thu 18 Jun, 2009 10:06 pm

chameleon wrote: The Parksider wrote: peterg wrote: In the late 40's there was an area off the Selby Road known as Three Wells Wood. I can't remember exactly where it was, but I assume the three shafts must have been related with a mine. Can anyone enlighten me on the matter? I got your last question wrong with the genius that is Chameleon answering more accurately, but I will have another stab!!Off Selby Road leaving Leeds is Barrowby Lane at the end is a wood that was the site of the west Yorkshire Colliery. When the colliery was sunk I don't think there were trees there - nothing is shown on the 1854 may. By 1893 the map shows a wood on the abandoned colliery. Brown Moor Colliery appears as a wood after abandonment.Strangely Prince Arthur pit has some tall mautre trees on the site today as does Mary Pit.How on earth pits became Woods in some cases i don't know???The 1854 map is interesting as it shows a railway running up church Lane manston to the colliery, and both West Yorkshire and Brown Moor had railways running the coal to main line.Miggy Railway wasn't the only colliery railway in Leeds - and of course Gipton pit had a railway and Busk pit in wortley rec has a railway - the track bed was still showing a few years ago..... I found the shaft head mentioned in the Woods off Barrowby Lane, this will be the West Yorkshire Colliery I think. The Brown Moor pit was further east and is now a private garden if I'm correct.Tha shaft has been filled - I presume - but the surface has settled. Being unsure of how it was closed, I wasn't about to jump down..... but I'll try to improve this on a better day! Found this shaft today, great open top shaft with brick lining.Further down the track is part of a the pit heap showing shale.The shaft is on the border of the wood. Next door is willow garth house and if you look carefully there's a massive rockery in the garden the base of which is very large dressed blocks and possibly some large pieces of broken concrete. It's disguised as a rockery but may be something to do with the colliery. At 40 yards from the shaft I wonder if it was the winding engine house??????For chameleon you can see it from the roadway without having to be nosey/intrusive......Thoughts??

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 18 Jun, 2009 11:32 pm

It's good isn't it? Probably the best we'll ever see I think. Re-visit on the cards. (note to self - check for stranded Phills in the bottom)

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 12:13 am

The Parksider wrote: On return can't even find a reference to a Calverley Colliery - anyone recall where this came from?? It is listed in Mike Gill's database "Mines of coal and other stratified minerals in Yorkshire from 1854" held on the MMRS website [see http://www.nmrs.co.uk/mainframeset.htm and the Online Resources drop down menu on the right]It lists:-Name: Calverley Township/parish: BradfordFrom: 1855To: 1878I have also come accross a few other references: In A Topographical Dictionary of England (184, edited by Samuel Lewis (see http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... =50853#s15 ) reference to Calverley the following is noted: Quote: CALVERLEY (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, W. riding of York, 5 miles (N. E.) from Bradford; containing, with the township of Bolton and the chapelries of Idle and Pudsey, 21,039 inhabitants, of whom 4142 are in the township of Calverley cum Farsley .............................................The village is beautifully situated, partly on the brow of an acclivity on the south side of Airedale, and partly on the bank of the river, and near the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The population is principally employed in the woollen-manufacture, for which there are extensive establishments; and within the parish are also some stone-quarries and coal-mines. In Whites 1837 "History, gazetteer, and directory, of the west-riding of Yorkshire etc" list under coal merchants in the Bradford directory: Quote: Rawson, Clayton & Coulson; Bradford and Calverley colleries See http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C8cH ... s_brr=1Not much, but at least it confirms it was a real undertaking. I do wonder though whether the name of the pit has anything to do with the Calverley family or Low Moor iron works?

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 12:33 am

grumpytramp wrote: The Parksider wrote: On return can't even find a reference to a Calverley Colliery - anyone recall where this came from?? It is listed in Mike Gill's database "Mines of coal and other stratified minerals in Yorkshire from 1854" held on the MMRS website [see http://www.nmrs.co.uk/mainframeset.htm and the Online Resources drop down menu on the right]It lists:-Name: Calverley Township/parish: BradfordFrom: 1855To: 1878I have also come accross a few other references: In A Topographical Dictionary of England (184, edited by Samuel Lewis (see http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... =50853#s15 ) reference to Calverley the following is noted: Quote: CALVERLEY (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, W. riding of York, 5 miles (N. E.) from Bradford; containing, with the township of Bolton and the chapelries of Idle and Pudsey, 21,039 inhabitants, of whom 4142 are in the township of Calverley cum Farsley .............................................The village is beautifully situated, partly on the brow of an acclivity on the south side of Airedale, and partly on the bank of the river, and near the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The population is principally employed in the woollen-manufacture, for which there are extensive establishments; and within the parish are also some stone-quarries and coal-mines. In Whites 1837 "History, gazetteer, and directory, of the west-riding of Yorkshire etc" list under coal merchants in the Bradford directory: Quote: Rawson, Clayton & Coulson; Bradford and Calverley colleries See http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C8cH ... s_brr=1Not much, but at least it confirms it was a real undertaking. I do wonder though whether the name of the pit has anything to do with the Calverley family or Low Moor iron works? Thank you very much for that.Checking old maps I found Calverley Quarries today and the workings were extensive and the quarry face so big that today it is a haunt of some climbing enthusiasts!!!As a village Calverly is just about 100% stone built!!I would guess the Colliery may be the other side of the village.If Mike Gill says it it's usually right. Unfortunately the 1855 date may postdate the ordanance survey 1854 map and closure predate the 1890's OS maps on old-maps so the research will be harder.Thanks again.....

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 12:39 am

Just gone on old maps and on the 1851 map three coal pits are clearly marked in Calverley.All to do now is superimpose the sites onto the modern street map and go have a look...... Whoopee!

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 12:50 am

Parkie,I was a native of east Leeds so Calverley is a wee bit off my coal mining radar ........... but having seen the references above I couldn't help but have another poke about.Go to Old-maps.co.uk and specifically the 1851 OS 10,560 sheet, then look to the south of Calverley and you will see that there were three "coal pits":Coal Pit #1: to the immediate east of the junction of original alignment of Old Carr Lane and Woodhall RoadCoal Pit #2: amongst the houses of Foxhole LaneCoal Pit #3: to the immediate west of the junction of Rodley Lane and Town Gate (? on Brookleigh) I suspect that these pits are near an outcrop and that one or all of these may be Calverley Colliery or Calverley Colliery was located down dip (which I would assume from my knowledge of the regional geology would be to the south and/or east) and are no likely be buried below modern Calverley

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 12:52 am

The Parksider wrote: Just gone on old maps and on the 1851 map three coal pits are clearly marked in Calverley.All to do now is superimpose the sites onto the modern street map and go have a look...... Whoopee! Ooops ........I would obviously like to say that great minds think alike!G

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 4:22 pm

grumpytramp wrote: The Parksider wrote: Just gone on old maps and on the 1851 map three coal pits are clearly marked in Calverley.All to do now is superimpose the sites onto the modern street map and go have a look...... Whoopee! Ooops ........I would obviously like to say that great minds think alike!G No thank you for the effort! The listed life of the colliery doesn't match 1851, but what the heck. I'd much rather find traces of the pits.I would assume looking at Google I may find nothing but grey shale dust against the normal earth/sandstone covering of the land.But a find is a find, and a location pinpointed a nice victory.Did you ever google Sturton Grange Colliery where all the pits showed up superbly as black circles in a brown ploughed field!!!Pudsey Greenside next and hopefully Chameleon may comment if the structure in Willow Garth House is a winding engine house!!!All this enthusiasm of mine is based on tracing the lead mining fields in the Dales as a younger man!

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Fri 19 Jun, 2009 5:05 pm

I get Pudsey Greenside coal mine at Alexandra Grove........