Coal Mining in East Leeds

[BramleyFettler]

Thanks for that. I've found the reference I was thinking of now, and it describes Seacroft Moor as being the area of "waste" lying between Shippen and the village of Seacroft to the north west. So, that is now roughly Cross Gates, as you say.    

[The Parksider]

BramleyFettler wrote: Thanks for that. I've found the reference I was thinking of now, and it describes Seacroft Moor as being the area of "waste" lying between Shippen and the village of Seacroft to the north west. So, that is now roughly Cross Gates, as you say.     The map of the old mines in the history of the Garforth Collieries shows seacroft moor extending from York Road near Seacroft Park across crossgates and over what is the ring road crossgates now.At that time though Crossgates was just a hamlet near station road.So development of "seacroft moor" was by Crossgates housing burgeoning outwards across the moor.I suppose technically the area bounded by York Road, Ring Road and Cross gates Road should be called seacroft!!!Whitkirk, Manston and Seacroft were the three areas of antiquity, but the modern crossgates popped up big style in the middle of the three!It may be to do with the railway station which was a catalyst for the growth of Crossgates outwards.............

[BramleyFettler]

Cheers Parksider. I think there's a book in the library that covers the old moors.On-topic by virtue of coal..........a friend is convinced there are old coal shafts on Woodhouse Moor. I've tried to explain that Woodhouse Moor used to be most of the area from town up to Adel, but he won't have it!I think in the early 1800s one of the landowners (Lord Cardigan?) sank a couple of trials for coal on some part of Woodhouse Moor. But that was on the Moor as it was then.

[chameleon]

BramleyFettler wrote: Cheers Parksider. I think there's a book in the library that covers the old moors.On-topic by virtue of coal..........a friend is convinced there are old coal shafts on Woodhouse Moor. I've tried to explain that Woodhouse Moor used to be most of the area from town up to Adel, but he won't have it!I think in the early 1800s one of the landowners (Lord Cardigan?) sank a couple of trials for coal on some part of Woodhouse Moor. But that was on the Moor as it was then. Think we touched on this elsewhere didn't we Parksider? That area is rather on the edge of the beds as I recall. (- looked on Old Maps and the geological map, can't see anything to suggest mining, plenty of quarries and as we saw from the news recently, they have their own problems now! )

[BramleyFettler]

chameleon wrote: (- looked on Old Maps and the geological map, can't see anything to suggest mining, plenty of quarries and as we saw from the news recently, they have their own problems now! ) Do you mean the heavy plant being stolen?I guess that when coal mania gripped England every land owner would try sinking some holes on their land. Sorry, can't remember where I read it, not unusual these days! I doubt there would be anything on maps for something that came to nothing.William Smith's map would have been in circulation then, but I can't see that it was detailed enough to justify sinking in a particular place.Talking of quarries, interesting front page in the YEP about properties in Woodhouse having their topsoil removed due to chemical contamination.

[The Parksider]

BramleyFettler wrote: Cheers Parksider. I think there's a book in the library that covers the old moors.On-topic by virtue of coal..........a friend is convinced there are old coal shafts on Woodhouse Moor. I've tried to explain that Woodhouse Moor used to be most of the area from town up to Adel, but he won't have it!I think in the early 1800s one of the landowners (Lord Cardigan?) sank a couple of trials for coal on some part of Woodhouse Moor. But that was on the Moor as it was then. The coal beds are thick in south leeds but thin out as you go northwards before nipping out apparently on the escarpments of the south of the wharfe valley.Knower of all things coal Grumpytramp says that you can't take geological maps as accurate to a couple of miles or so. There was a colliery at meanwood up king lane although it wasn't to me a serious coal mine maybe more fireclay and bits of coal to fire the bricks.Coal was mined in central leeds too and the moor is but a mile or so away.But my research on football being played in Leeds which dates back to 1864 shows that the first leeds club started playing on the moor - "which had been dug for coal before that". I have the idea that area is the bit to the east of woodhouse lane where they hold all the events even today. On old maps it is shown as a football and cricket ground.So yes- all the evidence is there was some shallow mining on woodhouse moor.

[BramleyFettler]

Yes, the point I was trying to get across to my friend was that the original Woodhouse Moor stretched from pretty much Leeds centre to Alwoodley! So when older references are made to the moor, it has to be clear whether they are talking about the current moor, or the original much larger area.

[chameleon]

BramleyFettler wrote: chameleon wrote: (- looked on Old Maps and the geological map, can't see anything to suggest mining, plenty of quarries and as we saw from the news recently, they have their own problems now! ) Do you mean the heavy plant being stolen?I guess that when coal mania gripped England every land owner would try sinking some holes on their land. Sorry, can't remember where I read it, not unusual these days! I doubt there would be anything on maps for something that came to nothing.William Smith's map would have been in circulation then, but I can't see that it was detailed enough to justify sinking in a particular place.Talking of quarries, interesting front page in the YEP about properties in Woodhouse having their topsoil removed due to chemical contamination. A problem yes, but no. Areas around Woodhouse Ridge were backfilled with industrial and factory waste. Obligatory testing has revealed unacceptable levels of some substances. It is proposed to excavate,remove and replace the soil to a depth of two feet in some parts. Seemingly the levels found don't present a threat to health at present but DEFRA regulations require that money be spent doing this anyway for legal compliance.

[grumpytramp]

The Parksider wrote: Knower of all things coal Grumpytramp says that you can't take geological maps as accurate to a couple of miles or so. There was a colliery at meanwood up king lane although it wasn't to me a serious coal mine maybe more fireclay and bits of coal to fire the bricks. You called :-)I am not quite sure that is exactly what I meant. The BGS solid geology sheets have been assembled organically with generations of field geologists notes based on observations and physical records (mine plans, colliery abandonment plans, boreholes etc). The assembled factual information is assembled and the gaps in between (in all three dimensions) are then interpreted. As a rule what are reliable on BGS geological are the positions of outcrops of economically important minerals ........ in particular thick, high quality or easily won coal and iron ore seams; as there will have been ample physical evidence at one time of workings (subsidence, pits/drifts, spoil heaps, exposed seams etc)So Woodhouse Moor and coal? Well, I have absolutely no knowledge of any collieries on Woodhouse Moor; however I would anticipate that there would have been significant workings for coal here.See the attached extract above from the 1:50,000 solid geology sheet (based on surveys dated back to 1870 and 1873) which shows that the outcrop of the Better Bed coal arcs around the northern extent of what we now know as Woodhouse Moor. The use of a broken line to mark the outcrop, suggest that its exact position is conjectural. I suspect that the outcrop position has been extrapolated from the outcrop of Better Bed shown on the First Series OS sheet (look carefully on Old-Maps). To the best of my knowledge the coal is no more than 12” thick in this part of Leeds (only thickening to a useful thickness in East Leeds) and would therefore have been of limited attraction to prospective colliery companies particularly when the regionally important Beeston coal cropped to the immediate south and west (and was subject to extensive exploitation). That all said, I am confident that it would have been (potentially extensive) workings in the Better Bed in this small fault bound syncline. The Better Beds sit directly above an extensive bed of sandstone known as the Elland Flags (no prizes for guessing its principal properties). The Elland Flags were extensively worked in the Woodhouse Moor area particular along the Woodhouse Ridge (particularly to the east of Woodhouse Lane - see the extensive quarry workings in the Elland Flags shown on the First Series OS sheets). The coal would have inevitably been exposed in these excavations and obviously recovered. The exposed Better Bed accessibility would therefore have been an attractive proposition for additional exploitation or for small scale artisan workings.I cannot help but think anything more substantial would have been restricted by the status of Woodhouse Moor as common land and after 1855 its purchase by the Corporation.     

[chameleon]

A remarkable way as always Grumpytramp of properly putting that which we mortals think we mean, thank you for the clarity.