Coal Mining in East Leeds

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 1:56 am

This has been exposed on the large building site Amberton Road/ Oaktree Drive.http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ikbrunel/ ... nPit#Could it be a capped off mine shaft of Gipton Pit?Can be found on Thorn Mount adjacent to the boundary wall/railings of Amberton CourtI have marked it on a Google map.http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 100aGoogle show a lovely grassy area, this is now a huge building site.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 8:52 am

Brunel wrote: This has been exposed on the large building site Amberton Road/ Oaktree Drive.http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ikbrunel/ ... nPit#Could it be a capped off mine shaft of Gipton Pit?Can be found on Thorn Mount adjacent to the boundary wall/railings of Amberton CourtI have marked it on a Google map.http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 100aGoogle show a lovely grassy area, this is now a huge building site. Thanks for that - fascinating.Bang on the area of Harehills Colliery/Gipton Pit!!!If it is the "cap" looks like they cast in it situ (obvious, but I have never thought of this before).Some old mine shafts were capped in wood, when the timbers are fully rotten it ain't a good idea to stand on them!

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 9:09 am

chameleon wrote: I'll look again tomorrow and try to answer your points - I think a comparison with later maps is indicated too.Grumpytramp always sees something we've missed, I'm sure he'll be back soon.(btw, I decided that the search for, 'Why does it run round the hill?' might probably become your life's ambition ) All the little signs and signals seem to point to various attempts to feed the mill pond one then the mill pond two!I'm certain that the gill runs round the hill man made because that's what watercourses do and streams don't, again reference Yorkshire Dales lead smelting Mills which all had waterwheels for the bellows, also dressing floors had waterwheels (Killhope Mill still to visit) for the crushers and no problems with enginering water feeds around hillsides ref: Dukes's watercourse Grassington moor (still to be seen).I can settle on what we have unless GT blows it up!! I'm settled on Harehills Colliery BTW!! (GT's not!)The mystery for me is a really long watercourse from Dibb Lane planned in 1577, depicted on an 1890's map by Burt (wonder if he reads seceret Leeds) and I think depicted on the OS Maps although as has been our problem - it's not easy to discern between water and field boundaries.If you pore through your maps again comments on the seacroft pond stream stopping at field 84?And comments on whether you believe the thick lines from Dibb Lane down the east side of Wyke Beck depict a watercourse - used or not!As for the position of the Mill was it built in the moresdale valley at a time when the stream was adequate? Was rebuilding costs greater than cutting watercourses and drains (I suppose so).Could mining activity post 16 & 17th century and later seacroft Hall taking water for their pond have affected the "Moresdale Beck" such that it's flow gradually reduced??

ads · Post by **ads** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 11:34 am

The Parksider wrote: Brunel wrote: This has been exposed on the large building site Amberton Road/ Oaktree Drive.http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ikbrunel/ ... nPit#Could it be a capped off mine shaft of Gipton Pit?Can be found on Thorn Mount adjacent to the boundary wall/railings of Amberton CourtI have marked it on a Google map.http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 100aGoogle show a lovely grassy area, this is now a huge building site. Thanks for that - fascinating.Bang on the area of Harehills Colliery/Gipton Pit!!!If it is the "cap" looks like they cast in it situ (obvious, but I have never thought of this before).Some old mine shafts were capped in wood, when the timbers are fully rotten it ain't a good idea to stand on them! Not only on the area but bang on the site of the shaft too! I have access to maps back to 1850 on computer so can transpose locations directly to current maps

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 12:00 pm

Not only on the area but bang on the site of the shaft too! I have access to maps back to 1850 on computer so can transpose locations directly to current maps I believe there were two shafts? Do you have the position of the other one?

ads · Post by **ads** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 12:56 pm

The maps only show one shaft, however I know that most mines had two shafts to force the ventillation. The maps show a building due east of the shaft and indicate a chimney as part of the building. I would guess that this may be where the ventillation shaft would be. It is located about 30m due east of the shaft you have found capped.

ads · Post by **ads** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 1:24 pm

The Parksider wrote: chameleon wrote: A very quick picture to depict roughly what the map shows. The red square is where the stream seems to go 'over' the oher! I wonder if this was a man made cutting? (click on image to enlarge). The 1851 OS map on old-maps.co.uk is fascinating.POINT ONEIt seems the cartographer has drawn the line of the stream into the mill ponds from seacroft park in heavier ink to ensure it stands out as a watercourse/stream but that line we think may be the feed is not drawn heavily in field 84.Look at field 84. The stream stops at it's eastern end where the earthwork is. Then at it's western end it appears again in the triangle of rough ground!!! It is as though it is culverted through field 84. Check that with Godfrey and it's the same!!POINT TWOYou have found yet another stream coming down south parkway, and a look at your line on the 1851 may shows the carographer thickening the line with his pen to seemingly accentuate a stream or watercourse as opposed to field boundary.If he did indeed mark streams and watercourses thus then the line of the watercourse from Dibb lane is clear and yes indeed we have a "crossroads" of two streams which is most unatural pointing to water engineering????Iwill be facinated and intrigued (and instructed) at your thoughts!! Whilst I am unable to post maps, if you look at the 2500 scale maps, there isn't a crossroads at all. The stream running off to the left actually splits about 20m higher than the stream from the right joins. The stream on the right seems to originate from a pond in what i imagine was the grounds of Seacroft Hall

Post by **chameleon** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 9:14 pm

Brunel wrote: This has been exposed on the large building site Amberton Road/ Oaktree Drive.http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ikbrunel/ ... nPit#Could it be a capped off mine shaft of Gipton Pit?Can be found on Thorn Mount adjacent to the boundary wall/railings of Amberton CourtI have marked it on a Google map.http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 100aGoogle show a lovely grassy area, this is now a huge building site. Yes that's in keeping with Brandy's location posted some while back. The IGS map shows the shaft to be actually in the road but you can't argue with what's there to see can you? It does also show the position of the second shaft - I've shown both of these (as shown on the map) on this image - they could be in for a shock if they haven't found it yet!At least it's capped with concrete, as Parksider says, often timber was used like the one at the top of Farm Road which collapsed in the 70's.

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Wed 21 Jan, 2009 11:13 pm

Nowt to do with Leeds abandoned pits but i found this whilst 'rummaging around the web' http://www.cscc.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id ... cappingThe first thing that came into my head was these three words> phill element and in lolps/damn links not working but if you copy/paste the full url into the bar you will get my jist lol

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Thu 22 Jan, 2009 1:21 am

ads wrote: [Whilst I am unable to post maps, if you look at the 2500 scale maps, there isn't a crossroads at all. The stream running off to the left actually splits about 20m higher than the stream from the right joins. The stream on the right seems to originate from a pond in what i imagine was the grounds of Seacroft Hall Thanks for that. Do you see on your maps a watercourse cut from Dib lane running along the hillside, and equally a watercoirse running arund the hillside to feed pond 2.The question is although pond one was fed by a stream from the valley above it, and Smeaton refers only to this, is there map evidence for alternative watercourses in your opinion