Ginnels of Leeds

Post by **cnosni** » Fri 12 Jun, 2009 12:48 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: No i can't post the pictures here on S.L with my browser.I've posted them in the Flickr Secret Leeds group instead.I think only members of the group might be able to see them tho.Perhaps mastermind techno Brandy can put them on S.L for me.The pics are here anywayhttp://www.flickr.com/groups/secretleeds/ Definitely snicket mate,see the link cardiarms put up a couple of posts back.In fact you could say that the example in the picture you posted is a classic example of waht is described,though if you look it is between houses,so could come into the ginnel side of things.1. snicket 67 up, 22 down Partially vegetated alleyway or cut through in the north of England, usually with bollards at both ends and is poorly lit Dave: Where's the pub, mate? Kev: Down't road, first snicket on't right, pas't badger and on't left 1. ginnel 68 up, 2 down A northern dialect word for a passageway between two buildings. It was too dark to walk up the ginnel. snicket footpath building bridlepath passageway by Mikeyjuk Sep 25, 2006 share this 2. ginnel 15 up, 1 down A narrow alley. Usually leading through a row of terraced houses in order to connect the street (in front of the row of houses) to the "back alley" (running between this row of houses and the next). "Our cat ran up their ginnel" (A phrase used to indicate a very tenuous familial relationship between two people. jinnel jennel lane alley ten-foot by Chris Sheffield May 12, 2008 share this 3. ginnel 22 up, 9 down another term for a snicket or a flutester go down t'ginnel lads by JimmyK Sep 18, 2003 share this Ginnels would have been a much later entity as snickets,being constructed of vegetation,would have been around for centuries whereas brick built ginnels were much later,because of their brick construction Anyway,we all know what we mean if we say either one

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Sat 13 Jun, 2009 12:50 am

I lived in Poole Square, Crossgates as a kid, where going "through't ginnel at bottom o't Square" was for us local kids the magic escape route into Primrose Valley where we spent most of our free time. "Through't ginnel, down't cinder track and ower't railway bridge" and you came to another ginnel out of Primrose Valley into Valley Drive, Halton. Crossgates to Halton on foot by this route was a couple of hundred yards and a few minutes. By road it was miles and a long, hard slog. Both these ginnels are still there I think. Wonderful things ginnels - nearest thing to a time warp wormhole any of us will ever see.

simong · Post by **simong** » Sat 13 Jun, 2009 10:21 am

Can't remember if I mentioned this in the other thread, but in the east Midlands such paths are known as corseys. Where I grew up they were generally known as snickets, but in one of the neighbouring mining villages they were known as corseys because a lot of the miners there had originally come from Nottinghamshire.

Steve Jones · Post by **Steve Jones** » Sat 13 Jun, 2009 10:45 am

I think you will find that "corsey" derives from "causeway" and sometimes they were called this because they were flagged with "causeway stones" which were hard wearing.

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Sat 13 Jun, 2009 6:09 pm

No success in posting a pic.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 14 Jun, 2009 10:43 pm

Steve Jones wrote: I think you will find that "corsey" derives from "causeway" and sometimes they were called this because they were flagged with "causeway stones" which were hard wearing. "corsey" was certainly a term used in Morley for the causeway.As for snicket and ginnel, I thought they were the same thing. We had a book "the snickleways of York" which was various little known cut thoughs and rat runs in and around York. There's a footpath past Morley Low station that comes out in the White Rose car park - does this count as a ginnel?

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 14 Jun, 2009 11:11 pm

Bert wrote: I lived in Poole Square, Crossgates as a kid, where going "through't ginnel at bottom o't Square" was for us local kids the magic escape route into Primrose Valley where we spent most of our free time. "Through't ginnel, down't cinder track and ower't railway bridge" and you came to another ginnel out of Primrose Valley into Valley Drive, Halton. Crossgates to Halton on foot by this route was a couple of hundred yards and a few minutes. By road it was miles and a long, hard slog. Both these ginnels are still there I think. Wonderful things ginnels - nearest thing to a time warp wormhole any of us will ever see. And do you remember how big the sides of the footbridge seemed them and how small it's 'become' now we're older! How long ago was that Bert, long enough to remember their was a style to cross at the end of the cinder track to get to the bridge?

wayniac · Post by **wayniac** » Mon 15 Jun, 2009 1:44 am

The houses/streets around East End park had a lot of ginnels.The best ones were in the Skeltons. Some of them just linked people to their back yards because they had a through terrace with a small front yard and usually a big back yard. If you knew the "through" ginnels you could take some great short cuts. One great one came out near the East Leeds football ground and it went all the way past the allotments and came out on Osmondthorpe Lane near St Philips church.The Berkins near the old police club and all the streets around the Ascots had ginnels. Some were dead ends into the toilets and dustbins and some went through to the next street. Local knowledge was key to that.We had ginnels around the Londesboroughs and East Park Street. Again the ginnel down our street was access to two back yards of terraced houses to get into their back yard and for the dustbin men to pick up the bins.We always used to go chumping down the ginnels, there was always some back yard bonfire to raid.Rhubarb used to grow down our local ginnel.I disagree that a ginnel is man made, the ginnels of the back to backs were man made/concrete but the East End park (East Park Street, East Park Parade etc) were usually lined with privet hedges and loads of tuskey (rhubarb).

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Mon 15 Jun, 2009 2:01 pm

chameleon wrote: Bert wrote: I lived in Poole Square, Crossgates as a kid, where going "through't ginnel at bottom o't Square" was for us local kids the magic escape route into Primrose Valley where we spent most of our free time. "Through't ginnel, down't cinder track and ower't railway bridge" and you came to another ginnel out of Primrose Valley into Valley Drive, Halton. Crossgates to Halton on foot by this route was a couple of hundred yards and a few minutes. By road it was miles and a long, hard slog. Both these ginnels are still there I think. Wonderful things ginnels - nearest thing to a time warp wormhole any of us will ever see. And do you remember how big the sides of the footbridge seemed them and how small it's 'become' now we're older! How long ago was that Bert, long enough to remember their was a style to cross at the end of the cinder track to get to the bridge? I do indeed Chameleon. 1952 to 1962 to be precise. Do you remember also the 'Big Beech' tree that used to stand in the hospital field just through the railings near the style? We spent a lot of our young lives in its branches. We used to try parachuting out of it with umbrellas - the family hardly ever had a working umbrella as a result. Fortunately we took the precaution of piling up mounds of hay to land on. We also used to dig for - and eat while they were still covered in muck - what we called ground nuts near its roots. God knows what they were but they don't seem to have done us any harm. We also used to play 'throwing arrows' in that field. We'd attach a paper flight like a big dart flight to the end of a stick, sharpen its point, tie a knot near one end of a piece of string, loop the string round a groove cut at the flight end of the stick and over the knot, grab the other end of the tautened string and the pointed end of this arrow in one hand and throw the arrow with all our might while holding on to the string. The string would disengage from the knot after propelling the arrow forward, and the arrow would go an amazing distance before embedding itself deep in the ground. Never see any kids doing that these days.

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Mon 15 Jun, 2009 2:17 pm

billy the buffalo wrote: Plenty of ginnels still in Bramley 1. starts on Broad lane opposite the junction of newlay lane and runs onto town street opposite the junction of moorfields.2. one stars on town street at the side of wright and shields garage and runs parallel to westover road up to warrels road and then continues on the other side up to grosmont.3. another starts at wright and sheilds garage and runs behind the chemist ( which in days gone by was a pawnbrokers and was used by the people who did want to be seen entering the pawn shop) and it continues down to the rear of the new bramley clinic on prospect view.. it then continues again at the other side of hough lane and you can end up at the rear of the unicorn pub.4. this starts on town street at some steps opposite the manor house and runs down to broad lane it comes out near the black lion pub and is interesting because it still has a bollard there may be two which were placed there to stop cattle coming down the ginnel and trampling anyone coming up or down( it must be many a long day since there was a live cow in bramley .. no cheap jokes please ) 5. this starts on town street at the side of the barley mow and runs through to the ashbys and onto stanningley road . I had never heard of ginnels 'til I moved to Bramley in 58/9 after growing up in Harehills( Leeds 9)and living for a year in Spen Lane(Leeds 16). Bramley still had the feeling of being a village on the edge of Leeds, rather than a suburb. To me it seemed very rural and the ginnels were a big part of that. Some were dark passages running between high stone walls but a lot were very leafy and overgrown between hedge rows and you could be on a country walk. There was a large house with an estate called Rossefield surrounded by a very high wall and you could walk all the way round the edge of the estate using ginnels if you had an hour to spare. There was a very long dark ginnel between the Rossefield boundary wall and a field which in those days was used as a practise field behind the Barley Mow RL ground. It was the quickest way to get from Stanningley rd to Town street on foot or bike.