The world famous Leeds Brick Collectors Club

simong · Post by **simong** » Wed 24 Sep, 2014 2:26 pm

The ever reliable Lost Railways of West Yorkshire site says that there was a narrow gauge line from Pool Quarry, which was in the woods on the Otley side of Harrogate Road, to Pool Station, which was where the newish housing estate is on the village side of the railway bridge. I would guess that the brick works were in the same area. There might still be some evidence down Old Pool Bank.

chemimike · Post by **chemimike** » Wed 24 Sep, 2014 7:05 pm

Here is the c1908 mapof the railway to the quarrey. Cannot see any brickworks around it

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Wed 24 Sep, 2014 7:41 pm

That's an interesting map chemimike. I note that it labels Pool Bank Quarries to the bottom left. I occasionally walk in that area as part of a longer walk to get to Otley Chevin but I've never realised that it used to be a quarry, though I should have guessed by the landscape. Apologies for going off-topic but many years back (it could be at least 40 years) I was walking in the area when there was still some snow remaining. I was very surprised to see steam rising through the snow and the ground felt warm. My guess then was that the site may have once been used as a waste tip and that it was 'burning' below ground. I went back a few days later and the snow had gone and there was no steam nor sign of any fire!

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 24 Sep, 2014 9:50 pm

LS1 wrote: I seem to remember finding some of these bricks in Roundhay Park also. I think they may have been left over from when the sewers and drainage systems were run through the park. If I remember rightly it was a white glazed one and was around the gorge area, quite far in. Yes there's a track through the woods by the golf club and Elmete hall grounds and a large sewer runs the distance and there is quite a bit of rubble including old bricks.Few years since I walked it and the bricks were mainly where the footpath crosses the sewer.I'm going again now you remind me.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 24 Sep, 2014 9:57 pm

chemimike wrote: Here is the c1908 mapof the railway to the quarrey. Cannot see any brickworks around it Thanks Mike, I've walked the length of that from the large quarry on the chevin out to the bridge abutments for the tramway on Otley Road and then down though all the quarries to the station.Don't remember a single brick or piece of fireclay. All the Leeds brickworks dug a claypit alongside, but I don't think there is one at Horsforth - so I suspect they brought the clay in by train and same at Pool - but no "brick kiln" is marked at pool either. Hard pressed to even find old brick buildings out there (maybe a mill built of brick though)? Again any Gazeteers here may be able to look up the location of Brick suppliers around 1900 in Pool/Otley

chemimike · Post by **chemimike** » Thu 25 Sep, 2014 1:00 am

Not Otley I'm afraid, but possibly the 1916 Leeds list might be of interest. The 1893 list is supposed to include Leeds and neighbouring districts, but doesn't seem to list one in Otley,Here is 1916 version

chemimike · Post by **chemimike** » Thu 25 Sep, 2014 1:00 am

And here is 1893 version

chemimike · Post by **chemimike** » Thu 25 Sep, 2014 8:21 am

However, if we look a bit later, on the c1934 map there appear to be brick kilns in the Pool Bank Quarry

sparky415 · Post by **sparky415** » Thu 25 Sep, 2014 11:43 am

They used to be a brick factory on the hawksworth Estate, on the ground where the YMCA now stands. there is also remnents of a brick built kiln on the opposite side of the railway. This is the abbey grange side of the railway, in the bottom. near the tracks. I don't think anyone else would know this, but you do now...

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Thu 25 Sep, 2014 3:36 pm

simong wrote: The ever reliable Lost Railways of West Yorkshire site says that there was a narrow gauge line from Pool Quarry, which was in the woods on the Otley side of Harrogate Road, to Pool Station, which was where the newish housing estate is on the village side of the railway bridge. I would guess that the brick works were in the same area. There might still be some evidence down Old Pool Bank. As I say Simon I have walked it from the big top quarry down the tramlines to the station at the bottom.No sign of any bricks, no sign of any kilns but above all there is no fireclay underfoot. As you'll see at nearly all the Leeds brickworks they dug claypits.The exception is Horsforth where I would guess fireclay came in by goods train to make transport economic so that could have happened at Pool but no signs of it mate.