Golden Acre Bunkers

sheret · Post by **sheret** » Tue 24 Jul, 2007 5:39 pm

Golden Acre History from Leeds City Council websiteOfficially opened in 1932, in its hey-day Golden Acre was once a large amusement park. The lake formally Black Hill Dam, was then about half a mile long and about a quarter of a mile wide. Motor launches, rowing boats and dinghys sailed the length and breadth of the lake whilst in the centre stood a large music tower from which music and annoucements were relayed to visitors.Circling around, a distance of just over a mile, ran a miniature railway. Two engines worked the line pulling open top carriages between three stations connecting the many attractions (including the Blue Lagoon open air swimming pool) to the rest of the park.The park closed after the 1938 season and having lain derelict since 1939 the park was acquired by Leeds City Council in 1945.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 24 Jul, 2007 5:49 pm

sheret wrote: Golden Acre History from Leeds City Council websiteOfficially opened in 1932, in its hey-day Golden Acre was once a large amusement park. The lake formally Black Hill Dam, was then about half a mile long and about a quarter of a mile wide. Motor launches, rowing boats and dinghys sailed the length and breadth of the lake whilst in the centre stood a large music tower from which music and annoucements were relayed to visitors.Circling around, a distance of just over a mile, ran a miniature railway. Two engines worked the line pulling open top carriages between three stations connecting the many attractions (including the Blue Lagoon open air swimming pool) to the rest of the park.The park closed after the 1938 season and having lain derelict since 1939 the park was acquired by Leeds City Council in 1945. It does seem to look like it could be the swimming pool this area that I was originally refering to. I hope to find some pictures of it in it's heyday. I only wish now I could find the tree I saw the bullet in so I could go back and dig it out!

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Tue 24 Jul, 2007 5:53 pm

I knew I forgot something... Leeds has quite a history of these speculative pleasure grounds, none of which ever seem to be successful! I remember reading about Tommy someone who had the Leeds Botanical and Zoological Gardens in Headingly ( you can see still the bear pits left from this on cardigan road) in the 1840's but it didnt seem to last very long. There is a photo /engraving knocking about of it somewhere but cannot remember where now!

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Wed 25 Jul, 2007 1:52 am

I remember going to the park some years ago and having a tea in the tea room. There was the history of the park on the wall! Can't remember how in depth it was, but it certainly showed the various attractions in it's hey day!

Hotitalian · Post by **Hotitalian** » Mon 30 Jul, 2007 4:56 pm

To put everyone out of their misery, this is actually the base of an old tennis court, I can't remember if it belonged to the hotel or the park, but when i first started going to the park as a child, the netting supports round it could still be seen.The pictures used to be on the inside of the cafe.CheersHot

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Mon 30 Jul, 2007 5:04 pm

Hotitalian wrote: To put everyone out of their misery, this is actually the base of an old tennis court, I can't remember if it belonged to the hotel or the park, but when i first started going to the park as a child, the netting supports round it could still be seen.The pictures used to be on the inside of the cafe.CheersHot Ah ha, the mystery has been solved! Might have to do a bit more exploration there to see if there are any of the old features left.

Hotitalian · Post by **Hotitalian** » Mon 30 Jul, 2007 5:21 pm

I agreee though, it does look weird sat there all on it's own.It's the same with Bramley Falls Park. In teh woods at teh bottom of teh park are some strange concrete constructions, turns out these were hoppers for wagons when the quarry was active, but look like bunkers.

Barwicker · Post by **Barwicker** » Tue 31 Jul, 2007 4:39 pm

To add to the information about the miniature railway in the Park the line closed with the Park at the end of the 1938 season.The two locomtivies were passed around various owners in the country and ended up in the hands of the Cleethorpes Coast Railway.In 2006 this company took over the running of the North Bay Railway from Scarborough Council and moved the two Golden Acre Park locos to Scarborough to supplement the existing NBR engines. All four were built by Hudswell Clarke in the 1930s and are diesel engines "disguised" as steam."Poseidon" is identical to the two NBR locos; they are all one third scale Gresley A3 Pacifics but "Robin Hood" is a 4-6-4T.There is a photograph of all four in Martin Bairstow's Book ... Railways in East Yorkshire, Volume 3, published this year

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Wed 01 Aug, 2007 8:57 am

Having a look on Leodis this morning and found in their "latest additions" page a great aerial view of Golden Acre. It appears the lake was much larger in the past and stretches right upto Otley Road. It is visibly evident today of this exoanse of water, but I cannot see the tennis courts there or the brick base. Perhaps they were built after this photo was taken, but it seems unlikely as the park was taken over shortly after by the military. Any ideas?

jf · Post by jf » Wed 01 Aug, 2007 2:23 pm

A similar viewpoint from Google Earth - a huge amount of change.Is there much in the way of remains of the old structures on site? I've never actually visited and quite fancy a look around now.