The Brackenwood Estate, north Leeds......

simon2710 · Post by **simon2710** » Sat 30 Jan, 2010 1:05 am

Catweazle wrote: Don't know if this should be in this thread or the pubs but is that pub open (forgotten its name Highwood maybe) went in it once when waiting to meet a friend who lived in the area. Last I heard it was shutting down and the landlord was refusing to leave or something... Yes Catweazle, it was once known as The Highwood Pub. It fell into a right sorry state and then was taken over, renovated and now it's gone back into the same sorry state. It is all boarded up. Mind you, isn't the same happening to most pubs these days? Such a sorry sight

Scrumpy · Post by **Scrumpy** » Tue 01 Nov, 2011 9:36 pm

ScrumpySorry for the late posting, but I've only just found this great site.The Brackenwood Estate is built on a large, open, grassy hillside which was my favourite stamping ground as a child in the early 1950's. On the summit of the hill was an old WW2 anti aicraft gun site which consisted of a large concrete base with metal attachments for the guns and concrete pens for the ammo. We kids dined there on apples pinched from a garden on nearby Lidgett Lane, while listening to the many Skylarks singing. The views to the west and south over Leeds were stunning. At the foot of the hill near Gledhow beck, on a site which is now Larkhill Green/Lidgett Towers, was the deserted Allerton Grange farm, known to us kids as Pollards farm. It had an overgrown garden in which we searched for birds nests. Nearbye was a small pool, teeming with Sticklelbacks and newts. I think this must have been on the site marked on old maps as Tan House Well. Skylarks, Grey Partridge and the occasional Curlew bred in this area, which was a paradise for a kid like myself interested in Natural History. Some photos of Pollards farm can be found on the Leodis Website. Greetings to all!

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Tue 01 Nov, 2011 10:20 pm

Greetings Scrumpy Nice recollections there, thanks for sharing them!I know the area well myself

Suvi · Post by **Suvi** » Fri 06 Apr, 2012 10:53 pm

Highwood is open and the current landlord is trying to make a go of itunfortunately it retains its historic reputationup until about five year back you could tell the time on a Friday by the sound of the brawl that had started in the pub at last orders and was coming up over the hill

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Fri 06 Apr, 2012 11:00 pm

Think there's a 'grand memorial' up by us at Lawnswood and the relevant bloke's address was Gledhow Grange.I'll have a skeg and report back. Know the area v well from mid 60's.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Fri 06 Apr, 2012 11:04 pm

BlimeyJust did a cyber-skeg.Memorial and Grave of Arthur Currer Briggs at Ngr 2673 3905 in Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds>"DIED AT GLEDHOW GRANGE LEEDS AVGVST 31. 1906/ AGED 51 YEARS./ ALSO HELEN HIS WIFE/ BORN MAY 23. 1860/ DIED NOVEMBER 17. 1936'. Above the plaque: 'FORTITER ET FIDELITER'. An inscription on the rear: 'LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LEEDS 1903-04/ ALDERMAN OF THE CITY OF LEEDS 1904-06/ CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HENRY BRIGGS & COMPANY LTD/ WHITWOOD COLLIERIES NORMANTON/. THIS MONUMENT PLACED TO HIS DEAR MEMORY BY HIS WIFE HELEN AND CHILDREN DOROTHY, REGINALD MARTIN, DONALD HENRY./ HAMO THORNYCROFT RA SCULPSIT 1908'<This may or may not help the history of the Bracken Woods, assuming it was break up of an 'estate' that allowed the 50's development.http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk ... urrer-brig

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 06 Apr, 2012 11:49 pm

I always kick myself I wasn't doing photography when Gledhow Grange still stood, It had been abandoned for ages. It would have made for some good photos, I used to pass the back of it daily delivering the mail to Chandos Fold. They put plans in to demolish it to build the old peoples home, I believe it was listed, or the council wanted it including into the new plans, there was quite a delay with nothing happening then. That was until it mysteriously burnt down one bonfire night a few years back, by the end of the week it was flattened, and by December the builders cabins and site compound were in place. The mystery fire being somewhat fortunate for the developer..huhm!

book · Post by **book** » Sat 07 Apr, 2012 12:09 am

Was Gledhow Grange the old Street Lane children's home? I read a book a while ago called Sweets on a Sunday by a Leeds author called shelagh Flynn about he life in a Leeds children's home and it sounds like Gledhow Grange?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 07 Apr, 2012 12:12 am

book wrote: Was Gledhow Grange the old Street Lane children's home? I read a book a while ago called Sweets on a Sunday by a Leeds author called shelagh Flynn about he life in a Leeds children's home and it sounds like Gledhow Grange? No it was at the top of Brackenwood Drive near the bus terminus.This is where it stood before the fire and new buildhttp://g.co/maps/p8yv6

book · Post by **book** » Sat 07 Apr, 2012 12:37 am

Could be the same one, she talks about a children's home off Street Lane. Street Lane would have been the most prominent place in those days so may have been known as Street Lane children's home to anyone from outside the area?