Coal Mining in East Leeds

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 24 Feb, 2010 8:45 pm

[quotenick="grumpytramp"] The Parksider wrote: 1. "I am not quite sure that is exactly what I meant" 2. "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" 1. If a misquote can "dig you out" we'll keep making them. Nice to hear from you.I still await your considered opinions on the claypit in Hunslet. Not so much our conjecture on position but how the heck did they dig such big open holes and then fill them in???2. This fits in with the locals digging bell pits for coal for local use, followed by the land being sold to the council and a cricket and football field being created for the old boys of the grammar school.The exact site is the square of cliff road, rampart road, woodhouse street and woodhouse lane.

BramleyFettler · Post by **BramleyFettler** » Thu 25 Feb, 2010 11:37 am

The Parksider wrote: The exact site is the square of cliff road, rampart road, woodhouse street and woodhouse lane. I wonder if that ties in with it being called Cinder Moor? Curious how nothing grows on it. It's only used as a car park a few times a year, plenty of time left for stuff to grow.If you use the timeline on google earth, the vegetation never really encroaches beyond the margins.P.S. Back to coal mining. Batty's History of Rothwell has some excellent coal mining info that I've not come across elsewhere. South east Leeds I suppose, rather than east, but all good stuff. Recommended.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Thu 25 Feb, 2010 4:07 pm

BramleyFettler wrote: The Parksider wrote: The exact site is the square of cliff road, rampart road, woodhouse street and woodhouse lane. I wonder if that ties in with it being called Cinder Moor? Curious how nothing grows on it. It's only used as a car park a few times a year, plenty of time left for stuff to grow.If you use the timeline on google earth, the vegetation never really encroaches beyond the margins.P.S. Back to coal mining. Batty's History of Rothwell has some excellent coal mining info that I've not come across elsewhere. South east Leeds I suppose, rather than east, but all good stuff. Recommended.Several moors were cinder moors. My dad remembers playing football on the cinders on hunslet moor.I do not know exactly why they were like this - maybe a method of having a well drained and semi solid surface suitable for setting up fetes and fairs.The part of woodhouse moor that is all cinders would I think have been grass as long as it was cricket and football. The grammer school people moved off it so maybe that's when it was cindered - any help gratefully received here!!!!

BramleyFettler · Post by **BramleyFettler** » Thu 25 Feb, 2010 5:12 pm

The Parksider wrote: The part of woodhouse moor that is all cinders would I think have been grass as long as it was cricket and football. The grammer school people moved off it so maybe that's when it was cindered - any help gratefully received here!!!! Have you tried "The History of Woodhouse Moor" by Ian Harker?Can we do clever linky things here, dunno? May be some useful references as to source material.http://www.headingley.org/node/2736

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Thu 25 Feb, 2010 11:36 pm

BramleyFettler wrote: Have you tried "The History of Woodhouse Moor" by Ian Harker? I will when I can find that civic trust bookshop open!!!!

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 25 Feb, 2010 11:48 pm

The Parksider wrote: BramleyFettler wrote: Have you tried "The History of Woodhouse Moor" by Ian Harker? I will when I can find that civic trust bookshop open!!!! couple of hours upto about 1.00pm!

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Fri 26 Feb, 2010 12:38 am

BramleyFettler wrote: The Parksider wrote: The part of woodhouse moor that is all cinders would I think have been grass as long as it was cricket and football. The grammer school people moved off it so maybe that's when it was cindered - any help gratefully received here!!!! Have you tried "The History of Woodhouse Moor" by Ian Harker? I have just flicked through my notes on coal mining culled from various publications where usually just snippets exist. One day Ill put them together in one publication.It had been recorded (and I think this is a Thoresby Society published quote from original manuscripts) that......"In this common (woodhouse moor) hath been a cole myne now not used"The date of this quote is 1625 which shows that coal mining on the moor stopped around 1600 and it is indicated that this was because a better quality easier to mine coal was being won in south and east leeds.I am not sure that this is as obvious a conclusion as it may appear given there is no doubt the better coal is available elsewhere in Leeds, but the costs off getting it to north leeds should be considered too.Roads and haulage were not easy hence they built a coal road (that exists today)to help link seacroft moor mines to markets in Wetherby and Harewood.......

Post by **chameleon** » Sat 27 Feb, 2010 2:10 pm

I found this, not much but more than we have so I'll add it

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Sat 27 Feb, 2010 10:08 pm

chameleon wrote: I found this, not much but more than we have so I'll add it That is wonderful Kam, a drawing of the locality is so welcome in the absence of photography.....I suspect looking at old maps the road you see (if the drawing is accurate) is the track leading down to the mill off Foundry Lane.Nice one!!

Post by **chameleon** » Sat 27 Feb, 2010 10:40 pm

The Parksider wrote: chameleon wrote: I found this, not much but more than we have so I'll add it That is wonderful Kam, a drawing of the locality is so welcome in the absence of photography.....I suspect looking at old maps the road you see (if the drawing is accurate) is the track leading down to the mill off Foundry Lane.Nice one!! As you'll see, that's been lurking in my old box of chance cuttings for over 20 years! Looking to see what else is there that might interest, found some bus/tram stuff posted elsewhere and just found another bit that might get a few going too!