Hello! My names Chris - i drive one of the water taxis up and down the city centre stretch of the aire and calder navigation. I enjoy telling people about the stories on the river - apparently the word leodis derives from a translation; "people of the fast flowing river". I regularly mention louis le prince when passing under leeds bridge but I'd be really interested in some good juicy interesting stories - the route runs from the train station to the royal armories - (we run 7 days a week till 7pm and its free to ride) cheers
Chris
Leeds bridge
-
tyke bhoy
- Posts: 2413
- Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
- Location: Leeds/Wakefield
- Contact:
Re: Leeds bridge
You actually run from Hol Beck to Meanwood Beck although, and our beck experts will correct me if wrong, its Lady beck by the time it joins the Aire opposite the Armouries. Hol beck gives its name to the area and has been slightly diverted just before it joins the Aire by the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Plenty more in all of this if you search the site
Oh an being pedantic but the Aire and Calder navigation are bits where the river is unavigable so replaced in stretches by canal. You run almost entirely on the Aire itself.
Oh an being pedantic but the Aire and Calder navigation are bits where the river is unavigable so replaced in stretches by canal. You run almost entirely on the Aire itself.
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/
-
warringtonrhino
- Posts: 478
- Joined: Sat 18 Feb, 2012 2:31 pm
Re: Leeds bridge
some I did when I lived in Leeds
450,000 BC
England was buried beneath massive glaciers, the ice scoured the rocks and vegetation.
As glaciers retreated north, they left mounds of boulders and debris.
Each ice age lasted thousands of years.
In between there were periods of temperate climate, when grass and trees were able to re establish.
During these periods, animals migrated north, followed by humans who hunted the deer, tigers and mammoth.
They lived in shelters made from animal hides, tree branches and reeds.
As well as meat they ate fruit, berries and fish.
On the onset of each ice age they all moved south, leaving our area to be covered with glaciers once more.
300,000 BC
The ice has retreated and left behind a river with a series of fast clear steams flowing off the hills to the north and south.
The longer period of temperate climate has allowed oak, ash, hazel, lime and elm to replace the fir and rowan, at least in the sheltered river valley.
The earlier species of man, Homo Erectus, was replaced with Neanderthal; they too have been superseded with Homo Sapiens, which are genetically identical to modern men and women.
Their larger brains allowed them to remember the past and plan for the future.
Using their ‘local’ knowledge they are able to find food during cold spells.
They are able to remain in the area longer, and construct more permanent dwellings.
1,500 BC
The river valley is now dotted with numerous small settlements.
Each one consisting of a single large hut of mud and reeds built onto a timber frame. and housing an extended family.
They built new homes on the higher ground to the north of the river, after discovering that the earlier ones were prone to flooding after the snow on the moors melted in the spring.
They have acquired knowledge of cultivation, and managed to capture alive some wild sheep from which they get milk.
They quickly discovered that it is better to keep animals in enclosures, and slaughter them when they required meat, and begin to keep sheep, cows and swine,
They catch fish and waterfowl in the river, and plant wheat. They are able to produce a surplus, which is stored in pits or used to trade with other families.
1AD
This is the start of the ‘Iron Age’.
Due to exchange of knowledge and trade with neighbours the people living in our valley have learnt to mine minerals and how to turn them into metals. The family has grown, now there are several dwellings, which are enclosed behind a high fence erected on the top of a small bank.
500 AD
The Roman armies are in the area, pushing north towards Hibernia (Scotland) in an attempt to colonise the whole of Europe.
They preferred to advance peacefully.
If the locals are amicable they integrate into the existing community, improve the buildings and introduce roads.
Where they meet opposition they destroy the community using their superior military strength.
There is strong opposition in the north of England, particularly at Barwick, the headquarters of the Brigantes; the Romans destroy almost all of the communities in our valley.
They do however require materials to build permanent homes and new roads and there is good stone at ‘quarry hill’
They need manpower to get it to the river where it could be loaded onto barges and shipped to their construction sites at Woodlesford and Castleford
They spare the community on the north bank to carry out this work for them.
There is little evidence of any other Roman activity in this area, they prefer to live elsewhere.
650 AD
The Romans have gone home, and the countryside reverts back to its pre- occupation state.
There are some stone and brick buildings, but the knowledge of construction was never passed on to the locals.
New buildings are constructed as before, except that, plans now have square corners, not rounded ones.
The emphasis is towards agriculture and husbandry.
Ships carrying cargoes from the continents of Asia and Europe come up the river to trade spices and new seeds in exchange for lead and iron.
During these exchanges the residents acquire knowledge of loom weaving, and the foundations of the Yorkshire woollen industry are laid.
Soon almost every home has a loom outside, where the weaving can be combined with watching the animals or crops.
1250 AD
Ledes has a population of 300 people.
The Normans have invaded and taken over the country. Any opposition was quickly put down and, as with the Romans, we were defeated, our animals killed and our land trashed.
The Normans are renowned for their structured lifestyle and they send out officers to record and catalogue the whole country. Everything is counted everyone is given a rank or status, they introduce weights, and measures, land is calculated in areas, it’s the start of the Civil Service!
The Domesday Book in 1086, has this entry for Ledes
‘In Ledes there are ten carucates and six bovates of land for geld land to six ploughs, Seven thanes held it in the time of Edward for seven manors, It was worth six pounds; Now twenty-seven villanes and four sokemen and four bordars have fourteen ploughs there. A priest is there and a church. (St Peters) And a mill of four shillings And ten acres of meadow. It is worth seven pounds.’
Note- it was worth six pounds in 1065 and twenty one years later only seven pounds, so clearly someone had devalued the town,
What it all means -
Carucate
the land a team of eight oxen could plough in a year – average 120 acres, depending on the terrain
Bovate
one-eighth of a carucate
Land for geld
is land on which tax was levied
Thane
an Anglo Saxon landowner who held land in return for military service. Only royal thanes had rank.
Manors
a vague description for a landowners household including villanes and underlings.
In this area Danelaw meant that almost every house was a ‘manor’
Villane
a tenant of the manor who worked on the land in return for a share of the harvest.
Sokemen
a freeholder, owning land within the boundary of the manor.
A mill of four shillings
the total annual tax levied from the population for use of the mill.
Meadow land,
usually near a watercourse, used for growing hay. Each landowner was allocated a share (dole).
KINGS MILL AND THE TEMPLARS
In the12th century there were communal Bread Ovens in Kirkgate and Briggate, which used timber brought down the river from Armley, and coal, which was dug out of the ground in the Calls, Marsh Lane and Osmanthorpe.
Each day a mediaeval family had to grid corn to make bread, this was time consuming and distracted from spinning and weaving. The townsfolk recognised that it would be better if one family did all the milling, but no individual could afford to build a corn mill.
King William II was petitioned for help to finance its building. This was granted and in 1091 the first mill was constructed, a condition place on the inhabitants was that they, and all of their heirs would pay a soke tax to use the mill. You may recall that in the entry for Ledes in the Domesday Book the town was valued at seven pounds and the annual mill tax for the whole town was set at four shillings. It was illegal to grind your own corn or to use another mill.
One group of people however didn’t have to contribute to the mill tax. They were the Knights Templars who protected pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. They got their name because they had headquarters close the Temple of Solomon. All Templars were rewarded with a tax-free lifestyle, and became very rich, in this area they owned all the best houses. They were given Neuhusu (Newsam) a derelict village four miles from Leeds, this they developed and renamed Temple Newsam.
To indicate that they were exempt from the mill tax, Templars marked their property with a Templar Cross. There are two surviving Templar Crosses in Leeds, which have survived from the 13th century.
One is in just below the railway bridge in Briggate. It was salvaged in 1934 when the Old George Inn and Georgian house were demolished after being declared structurally unsound.
The other is on the gable of the Packhorse Inn, off Briggate, This was originally called The Slip Inn, we will see both of them later on the walk.
The names Sovereign Street and Mill Hill are reminders of the existence of the ancient mill, and not to be outdone the Victorians carved a massive Kings Mill sign, into the bank of the Aire just upstream from Leeds Bridge, the stone letters are two foot high.
THE BRIGGATE CLOTH MARKET
Between 1624 and 1756 the bridge and Bridge Gate (Briggate) was the site of the Cloth Market. Daniel Defoe, wrote a description of the market in 1725, five years after he had visited the town.
A full version of his commentary is included in this History Tour Pack.
THE CALLS
The Calls is believed to be where the City of Leeds was begun. Calis is the Anglo/roman word meaning a beaten track. The earliest mention of Leeds is by the Venerable Bede in the early eighth century, he refers to ‘regione quae vocatur Loidis’ this could be a reference to Leeds or the area around Leeds.
Conjecture
When workman found a ‘roman road’ in Dock Street south of the river, the idea of the Roman Ford was resurrected, the theory was that the Romans constructed a ford across the river at the bottom of Call Lane, this would have been on the road linking Castleford and Ilkley. The stone used was obtained from Quarry Hill.
The acknowledged route between these two Roman forts was actually west from Castleford crossing the Aire at Woodlesford, then north through Austhorpe Scholes and Thorner,and turning left onto the main Roman thoroughfare linking Ainstey with Adel, Menston and Ilkley
No other significant Roman remains have yet been found in the area.
My theory is that the ‘roads’ found at each bank of the river were jetties used for loading stone onto boats for transportation to Woodlesford and Castleford where the real roads was being constructed.
THE PARISH CHURCH
The church was of course mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the first church may have been built by Paulinus early in the 7th century and would have been constructed in timber with a thatch roof,
The earliest positive evidence are the remains of 9th and 10th century crosses found below the tower in 1838, during the rebuilding.
It was rebuilt by the Normans in the 12th century and again in 1350 during Edward III’s reign.
In1500 it was extensively destroyed by fire and replaced this time in stone and by the 16th century it also had fine stone tower and steeple.
Ralph Thoresby the local historian wrote in his book, ‘the dimensions of the church are length 165 foot, breadth 97 foot, height of the nave of the church 51 foot, height of the steeple 96 foot.
It was constantly being enlarged and repaired, and this work came to a climax in 1838 when during, what began as a ‘restoration’ the whole church was demolished and rebuilt. The current vicar Rev F. W. Hook wanted a church which was large enough for the whole congregation, many of whom were living in appalling conditions and working fifteen hours, six days a week. During the restoration a crack was ‘discovered’ in the main tower this was the excuse he needed to demolish the whole church and rebuild it with a greater seating capacity. Stone for R. D Chantrell’s new perpendicular/gothic style church came from Bramley Fall. The tower is 144 ft high, and the clocks were made by Potts & Sons, the local clockmakers.
There was a Potts clock in all the ward of the Leeds Infirmary and each day a team would wind every one, by hand.
The current building is the 5th church on this site.
Note
Old timber churches appeared black compared to stone churches, which were white. That’s where the name Whitkirk-white church comes from
There are numerous tombs, memorial plaques, and commemorations inside and around the church, here are some of the more famous names
Richard Oastler 1789-1861
Was born in Park Square the youngest of eight sons of Robert Oastler,
a Leeds merchant. His family were Wesleyans, and were host to John Wesley in 1790, when he blessed the nine month old Richard.
Richard began his working life as an architect but in 1820 his father died so he took over the management of the family mill near Huddersfield.
A decade later, he met John Wood, a Bradford worsted spinner, they discussed the working conditions in mills, particularly those endured by young children.
He resolved to improve matters, and after a hostile campaign, which he funded, lasting seventeen years, the Ten Hours Bill was passed into English Law.
The Leeds Mercury gave him the title the ‘Factory King’
Rev Geoffrey Studdart Kennedy MC 1893-1929
An WW1 army chaplain, earned the nickname ‘Woodbine Willie’ because he gave fatally injured soldiers a last cigarette,
He was chaplain to King George V and curate of St Mary’s, Quarry Hill
John Thoresby 1592-1661
merchant and father to Ralph Thoresby.
Ralph Thoresby FRS 1638-1725
A wool merchant who regularly traded with Hamburg. He founded a museum in his House in Kirkgate, and wrote Ducatus Leodiensis, the first history of Leeds
Sir John Beckett 1743-1826
Partner of the Beckett-Blaynds Bank, which financed the industrial redevelopment of Leeds
Thomas Lloyd 1750-1828
Rebuilt Armley Mills and was Colonel of the Leeds Volunteers
Captain Lawrence Oates 1880-1912
Member of the ill-fated South Pole Expedition
George Skirrow Beecroft 1809-1869
Lived in Abbey house Kirkstall, was Partner of Kirkstall Forge, and MP for Leeds
Dr. W. F. Hook.
Vicar of Leeds between 1837 and 1850
Built twenty one churches, twenty seven schools and twenty three vicarages in Leeds
His tomb was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott
Benjamin Gott 1762-1840
Was born at Woodhall in Calverley and lived in Armley House, he was Head or The West Riding Textile Industry and built Armley and Bean Ing Mills
Founded the Philosophical and Literary Society and the Mechanics Institute
Police Sergeant John Speed
Was killed in a shooting incident on 31st October 1984
His commemorative stone is across the road, opposite the Main door.
THE BAR STONES
At York, the citizens greeted the Romans with open arms, they were rewarded with a new city wall with magnificent gates or bars to guard every entrance. They built roads, houses, shops and civic buildings, during their stay, York became the wealthiest, best defended in the north of England.
Just 25miles away in Leeds, the residents typically did not cooperate, as a result we got some little carved stones. Sometimes it pays to be a whimp.
The bar stones marked the limits of our mediaeval town of Leeds
If you lived inside the town, and used the town facilities, the annual tithe (Council Tax) was 2 pence; outsiders were charged 3 pence, to use the bread ovens and dig coal etc.
MARSH LANE
Before land was drained, the rivers, becks and streams were wider than they are today. Land with no natural drainage, would have remained wetland for most of the year.
The flat land between Quarry Hill and Richmond Hill, was indeed marshland.
The first permanent inhabitants of Ledes built homes on the high ground north of the river, at Mill Hill, Kirkgate and Briggate
They used reeds for thatching and hazel and willow to make fencing, baskets and wattling. Marsh (or March) Lane was established, as the route to this abundant supply of natural resources.
As the Manor of Leeds expanded the area was drained, and the area briefly became an open cast coal mine.
In 1833 many of the buildings were demolished and the carriageway re-aligned, to make way for the new railway line to Selby, and the Marsh Lane Goods Depot.
The first passenger train ran to Selby on 22nd September 1843.
MARKS & SPENCER
In 1884 Isaac Dewhirst a wholesaler and one of his staff Charlie Backhouse, were walking up Kirkgate, they met an inarticulate Lithuanian Jewish immigrant, Michael Marks.
‘Henry Barran’ were the only English words that Michael knew, he was told that if he went to Leeds and found Henry Barran he would have a job, Mr Barran was a mill owner who employed immigrant Jews.
Fortunately Charlie could speak some Yiddish, and they were able to have a conversation, Mr Dewhirst was impressed with Michael’s determination and gave him £5 of credit in his warehouse.
He used the money to open a penny bazaar in Kirkgate market with the famous sign ‘Don’t ask the Price – It’s a penny’.
He knew little English, so the sign was probably devised to save him having to haggle. The stall succeeded, in 1891 he moved to Wigan which had a bigger market and in 1894 he joined in partnership with Tom Spencer a Skipton trader.
In 1897 they moved to Manchester, and twenty-four years later set up their headquarters in London.
Simon Marks took over the business in 1909, and changed the emphasis to selling quality goods in modern department stores with uniformed staff.
To this day M&S stores buy shirts from I J Dewhirst, in gratitude for that first £5 credit.
LOUIS LE PRINCE
In 1888 Louis le Prince took and projected the worlds first movie film. He set his camera up on the second floor of Milners House overlooking Leeds Bridge towards Lower Briggate. The film shows horse drawn wagons and coaches, men and women strolling over the bridge, one man is smoking a pipe as he looks down at the river from the new Leeds Bridge
Louis lived at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, and started the School of Applied Art in Park Square. At six feet three inches tall he was a striking figure, however on 16th September, 1890 when in France, he boarded a train for Paris and was never seen again. His luggage business papers, drawings and correspondence all disappeared. It is believed that a rival inventor had him killed.
BAND OF HOPE TEMPERANCE SOCIETY
In June 1847 the Reverend Jabez Tunnicliffe, visited the home of George Paley, who was 28, and addicted to drink and tobacco. He told the vicar, that he used to go to Sunday School, and church every Sunday,
One day he went for a walk with a friend, and agreed to stop at a country pub for a glass of ale, it became a habit, and soon they were out drinking most evenings.
His work, health and family life all suffered.
Jabez told some of his Quaker colleagues, and the Band of Hope Temperance Society was born.
Children who joined, pledged never to indulge in tobacco, snuff, and intoxicating liquor.
To this day, tour guides, rarely go anywhere near a pub
450,000 BC
England was buried beneath massive glaciers, the ice scoured the rocks and vegetation.
As glaciers retreated north, they left mounds of boulders and debris.
Each ice age lasted thousands of years.
In between there were periods of temperate climate, when grass and trees were able to re establish.
During these periods, animals migrated north, followed by humans who hunted the deer, tigers and mammoth.
They lived in shelters made from animal hides, tree branches and reeds.
As well as meat they ate fruit, berries and fish.
On the onset of each ice age they all moved south, leaving our area to be covered with glaciers once more.
300,000 BC
The ice has retreated and left behind a river with a series of fast clear steams flowing off the hills to the north and south.
The longer period of temperate climate has allowed oak, ash, hazel, lime and elm to replace the fir and rowan, at least in the sheltered river valley.
The earlier species of man, Homo Erectus, was replaced with Neanderthal; they too have been superseded with Homo Sapiens, which are genetically identical to modern men and women.
Their larger brains allowed them to remember the past and plan for the future.
Using their ‘local’ knowledge they are able to find food during cold spells.
They are able to remain in the area longer, and construct more permanent dwellings.
1,500 BC
The river valley is now dotted with numerous small settlements.
Each one consisting of a single large hut of mud and reeds built onto a timber frame. and housing an extended family.
They built new homes on the higher ground to the north of the river, after discovering that the earlier ones were prone to flooding after the snow on the moors melted in the spring.
They have acquired knowledge of cultivation, and managed to capture alive some wild sheep from which they get milk.
They quickly discovered that it is better to keep animals in enclosures, and slaughter them when they required meat, and begin to keep sheep, cows and swine,
They catch fish and waterfowl in the river, and plant wheat. They are able to produce a surplus, which is stored in pits or used to trade with other families.
1AD
This is the start of the ‘Iron Age’.
Due to exchange of knowledge and trade with neighbours the people living in our valley have learnt to mine minerals and how to turn them into metals. The family has grown, now there are several dwellings, which are enclosed behind a high fence erected on the top of a small bank.
500 AD
The Roman armies are in the area, pushing north towards Hibernia (Scotland) in an attempt to colonise the whole of Europe.
They preferred to advance peacefully.
If the locals are amicable they integrate into the existing community, improve the buildings and introduce roads.
Where they meet opposition they destroy the community using their superior military strength.
There is strong opposition in the north of England, particularly at Barwick, the headquarters of the Brigantes; the Romans destroy almost all of the communities in our valley.
They do however require materials to build permanent homes and new roads and there is good stone at ‘quarry hill’
They need manpower to get it to the river where it could be loaded onto barges and shipped to their construction sites at Woodlesford and Castleford
They spare the community on the north bank to carry out this work for them.
There is little evidence of any other Roman activity in this area, they prefer to live elsewhere.
650 AD
The Romans have gone home, and the countryside reverts back to its pre- occupation state.
There are some stone and brick buildings, but the knowledge of construction was never passed on to the locals.
New buildings are constructed as before, except that, plans now have square corners, not rounded ones.
The emphasis is towards agriculture and husbandry.
Ships carrying cargoes from the continents of Asia and Europe come up the river to trade spices and new seeds in exchange for lead and iron.
During these exchanges the residents acquire knowledge of loom weaving, and the foundations of the Yorkshire woollen industry are laid.
Soon almost every home has a loom outside, where the weaving can be combined with watching the animals or crops.
1250 AD
Ledes has a population of 300 people.
The Normans have invaded and taken over the country. Any opposition was quickly put down and, as with the Romans, we were defeated, our animals killed and our land trashed.
The Normans are renowned for their structured lifestyle and they send out officers to record and catalogue the whole country. Everything is counted everyone is given a rank or status, they introduce weights, and measures, land is calculated in areas, it’s the start of the Civil Service!
The Domesday Book in 1086, has this entry for Ledes
‘In Ledes there are ten carucates and six bovates of land for geld land to six ploughs, Seven thanes held it in the time of Edward for seven manors, It was worth six pounds; Now twenty-seven villanes and four sokemen and four bordars have fourteen ploughs there. A priest is there and a church. (St Peters) And a mill of four shillings And ten acres of meadow. It is worth seven pounds.’
Note- it was worth six pounds in 1065 and twenty one years later only seven pounds, so clearly someone had devalued the town,
What it all means -
Carucate
the land a team of eight oxen could plough in a year – average 120 acres, depending on the terrain
Bovate
one-eighth of a carucate
Land for geld
is land on which tax was levied
Thane
an Anglo Saxon landowner who held land in return for military service. Only royal thanes had rank.
Manors
a vague description for a landowners household including villanes and underlings.
In this area Danelaw meant that almost every house was a ‘manor’
Villane
a tenant of the manor who worked on the land in return for a share of the harvest.
Sokemen
a freeholder, owning land within the boundary of the manor.
A mill of four shillings
the total annual tax levied from the population for use of the mill.
Meadow land,
usually near a watercourse, used for growing hay. Each landowner was allocated a share (dole).
KINGS MILL AND THE TEMPLARS
In the12th century there were communal Bread Ovens in Kirkgate and Briggate, which used timber brought down the river from Armley, and coal, which was dug out of the ground in the Calls, Marsh Lane and Osmanthorpe.
Each day a mediaeval family had to grid corn to make bread, this was time consuming and distracted from spinning and weaving. The townsfolk recognised that it would be better if one family did all the milling, but no individual could afford to build a corn mill.
King William II was petitioned for help to finance its building. This was granted and in 1091 the first mill was constructed, a condition place on the inhabitants was that they, and all of their heirs would pay a soke tax to use the mill. You may recall that in the entry for Ledes in the Domesday Book the town was valued at seven pounds and the annual mill tax for the whole town was set at four shillings. It was illegal to grind your own corn or to use another mill.
One group of people however didn’t have to contribute to the mill tax. They were the Knights Templars who protected pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. They got their name because they had headquarters close the Temple of Solomon. All Templars were rewarded with a tax-free lifestyle, and became very rich, in this area they owned all the best houses. They were given Neuhusu (Newsam) a derelict village four miles from Leeds, this they developed and renamed Temple Newsam.
To indicate that they were exempt from the mill tax, Templars marked their property with a Templar Cross. There are two surviving Templar Crosses in Leeds, which have survived from the 13th century.
One is in just below the railway bridge in Briggate. It was salvaged in 1934 when the Old George Inn and Georgian house were demolished after being declared structurally unsound.
The other is on the gable of the Packhorse Inn, off Briggate, This was originally called The Slip Inn, we will see both of them later on the walk.
The names Sovereign Street and Mill Hill are reminders of the existence of the ancient mill, and not to be outdone the Victorians carved a massive Kings Mill sign, into the bank of the Aire just upstream from Leeds Bridge, the stone letters are two foot high.
THE BRIGGATE CLOTH MARKET
Between 1624 and 1756 the bridge and Bridge Gate (Briggate) was the site of the Cloth Market. Daniel Defoe, wrote a description of the market in 1725, five years after he had visited the town.
A full version of his commentary is included in this History Tour Pack.
THE CALLS
The Calls is believed to be where the City of Leeds was begun. Calis is the Anglo/roman word meaning a beaten track. The earliest mention of Leeds is by the Venerable Bede in the early eighth century, he refers to ‘regione quae vocatur Loidis’ this could be a reference to Leeds or the area around Leeds.
Conjecture
When workman found a ‘roman road’ in Dock Street south of the river, the idea of the Roman Ford was resurrected, the theory was that the Romans constructed a ford across the river at the bottom of Call Lane, this would have been on the road linking Castleford and Ilkley. The stone used was obtained from Quarry Hill.
The acknowledged route between these two Roman forts was actually west from Castleford crossing the Aire at Woodlesford, then north through Austhorpe Scholes and Thorner,and turning left onto the main Roman thoroughfare linking Ainstey with Adel, Menston and Ilkley
No other significant Roman remains have yet been found in the area.
My theory is that the ‘roads’ found at each bank of the river were jetties used for loading stone onto boats for transportation to Woodlesford and Castleford where the real roads was being constructed.
THE PARISH CHURCH
The church was of course mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the first church may have been built by Paulinus early in the 7th century and would have been constructed in timber with a thatch roof,
The earliest positive evidence are the remains of 9th and 10th century crosses found below the tower in 1838, during the rebuilding.
It was rebuilt by the Normans in the 12th century and again in 1350 during Edward III’s reign.
In1500 it was extensively destroyed by fire and replaced this time in stone and by the 16th century it also had fine stone tower and steeple.
Ralph Thoresby the local historian wrote in his book, ‘the dimensions of the church are length 165 foot, breadth 97 foot, height of the nave of the church 51 foot, height of the steeple 96 foot.
It was constantly being enlarged and repaired, and this work came to a climax in 1838 when during, what began as a ‘restoration’ the whole church was demolished and rebuilt. The current vicar Rev F. W. Hook wanted a church which was large enough for the whole congregation, many of whom were living in appalling conditions and working fifteen hours, six days a week. During the restoration a crack was ‘discovered’ in the main tower this was the excuse he needed to demolish the whole church and rebuild it with a greater seating capacity. Stone for R. D Chantrell’s new perpendicular/gothic style church came from Bramley Fall. The tower is 144 ft high, and the clocks were made by Potts & Sons, the local clockmakers.
There was a Potts clock in all the ward of the Leeds Infirmary and each day a team would wind every one, by hand.
The current building is the 5th church on this site.
Note
Old timber churches appeared black compared to stone churches, which were white. That’s where the name Whitkirk-white church comes from
There are numerous tombs, memorial plaques, and commemorations inside and around the church, here are some of the more famous names
Richard Oastler 1789-1861
Was born in Park Square the youngest of eight sons of Robert Oastler,
a Leeds merchant. His family were Wesleyans, and were host to John Wesley in 1790, when he blessed the nine month old Richard.
Richard began his working life as an architect but in 1820 his father died so he took over the management of the family mill near Huddersfield.
A decade later, he met John Wood, a Bradford worsted spinner, they discussed the working conditions in mills, particularly those endured by young children.
He resolved to improve matters, and after a hostile campaign, which he funded, lasting seventeen years, the Ten Hours Bill was passed into English Law.
The Leeds Mercury gave him the title the ‘Factory King’
Rev Geoffrey Studdart Kennedy MC 1893-1929
An WW1 army chaplain, earned the nickname ‘Woodbine Willie’ because he gave fatally injured soldiers a last cigarette,
He was chaplain to King George V and curate of St Mary’s, Quarry Hill
John Thoresby 1592-1661
merchant and father to Ralph Thoresby.
Ralph Thoresby FRS 1638-1725
A wool merchant who regularly traded with Hamburg. He founded a museum in his House in Kirkgate, and wrote Ducatus Leodiensis, the first history of Leeds
Sir John Beckett 1743-1826
Partner of the Beckett-Blaynds Bank, which financed the industrial redevelopment of Leeds
Thomas Lloyd 1750-1828
Rebuilt Armley Mills and was Colonel of the Leeds Volunteers
Captain Lawrence Oates 1880-1912
Member of the ill-fated South Pole Expedition
George Skirrow Beecroft 1809-1869
Lived in Abbey house Kirkstall, was Partner of Kirkstall Forge, and MP for Leeds
Dr. W. F. Hook.
Vicar of Leeds between 1837 and 1850
Built twenty one churches, twenty seven schools and twenty three vicarages in Leeds
His tomb was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott
Benjamin Gott 1762-1840
Was born at Woodhall in Calverley and lived in Armley House, he was Head or The West Riding Textile Industry and built Armley and Bean Ing Mills
Founded the Philosophical and Literary Society and the Mechanics Institute
Police Sergeant John Speed
Was killed in a shooting incident on 31st October 1984
His commemorative stone is across the road, opposite the Main door.
THE BAR STONES
At York, the citizens greeted the Romans with open arms, they were rewarded with a new city wall with magnificent gates or bars to guard every entrance. They built roads, houses, shops and civic buildings, during their stay, York became the wealthiest, best defended in the north of England.
Just 25miles away in Leeds, the residents typically did not cooperate, as a result we got some little carved stones. Sometimes it pays to be a whimp.
The bar stones marked the limits of our mediaeval town of Leeds
If you lived inside the town, and used the town facilities, the annual tithe (Council Tax) was 2 pence; outsiders were charged 3 pence, to use the bread ovens and dig coal etc.
MARSH LANE
Before land was drained, the rivers, becks and streams were wider than they are today. Land with no natural drainage, would have remained wetland for most of the year.
The flat land between Quarry Hill and Richmond Hill, was indeed marshland.
The first permanent inhabitants of Ledes built homes on the high ground north of the river, at Mill Hill, Kirkgate and Briggate
They used reeds for thatching and hazel and willow to make fencing, baskets and wattling. Marsh (or March) Lane was established, as the route to this abundant supply of natural resources.
As the Manor of Leeds expanded the area was drained, and the area briefly became an open cast coal mine.
In 1833 many of the buildings were demolished and the carriageway re-aligned, to make way for the new railway line to Selby, and the Marsh Lane Goods Depot.
The first passenger train ran to Selby on 22nd September 1843.
MARKS & SPENCER
In 1884 Isaac Dewhirst a wholesaler and one of his staff Charlie Backhouse, were walking up Kirkgate, they met an inarticulate Lithuanian Jewish immigrant, Michael Marks.
‘Henry Barran’ were the only English words that Michael knew, he was told that if he went to Leeds and found Henry Barran he would have a job, Mr Barran was a mill owner who employed immigrant Jews.
Fortunately Charlie could speak some Yiddish, and they were able to have a conversation, Mr Dewhirst was impressed with Michael’s determination and gave him £5 of credit in his warehouse.
He used the money to open a penny bazaar in Kirkgate market with the famous sign ‘Don’t ask the Price – It’s a penny’.
He knew little English, so the sign was probably devised to save him having to haggle. The stall succeeded, in 1891 he moved to Wigan which had a bigger market and in 1894 he joined in partnership with Tom Spencer a Skipton trader.
In 1897 they moved to Manchester, and twenty-four years later set up their headquarters in London.
Simon Marks took over the business in 1909, and changed the emphasis to selling quality goods in modern department stores with uniformed staff.
To this day M&S stores buy shirts from I J Dewhirst, in gratitude for that first £5 credit.
LOUIS LE PRINCE
In 1888 Louis le Prince took and projected the worlds first movie film. He set his camera up on the second floor of Milners House overlooking Leeds Bridge towards Lower Briggate. The film shows horse drawn wagons and coaches, men and women strolling over the bridge, one man is smoking a pipe as he looks down at the river from the new Leeds Bridge
Louis lived at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, and started the School of Applied Art in Park Square. At six feet three inches tall he was a striking figure, however on 16th September, 1890 when in France, he boarded a train for Paris and was never seen again. His luggage business papers, drawings and correspondence all disappeared. It is believed that a rival inventor had him killed.
BAND OF HOPE TEMPERANCE SOCIETY
In June 1847 the Reverend Jabez Tunnicliffe, visited the home of George Paley, who was 28, and addicted to drink and tobacco. He told the vicar, that he used to go to Sunday School, and church every Sunday,
One day he went for a walk with a friend, and agreed to stop at a country pub for a glass of ale, it became a habit, and soon they were out drinking most evenings.
His work, health and family life all suffered.
Jabez told some of his Quaker colleagues, and the Band of Hope Temperance Society was born.
Children who joined, pledged never to indulge in tobacco, snuff, and intoxicating liquor.
To this day, tour guides, rarely go anywhere near a pub
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Leodian
- Posts: 6483
- Joined: Thu 10 Jun, 2010 8:03 am
Re: Leeds bridge
Hi Chris (Bonski) 
.
I took this photo of the Water Taxi just after it started coming away from the marina by the Royal Armouries on April 20 2016. I have not yet used the Water Taxi but I intend to do so at some stage as it looks like an interesting voyage!
.I took this photo of the Water Taxi just after it started coming away from the marina by the Royal Armouries on April 20 2016. I have not yet used the Water Taxi but I intend to do so at some stage as it looks like an interesting voyage!
- Water Taxi coming away from the marina at the Royal Armouries, Leeds (taken April 20 2016).
- 932RApr202016.jpg (152.75 KiB) Viewed 2844 times
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.
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Bonski
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun 03 Jul, 2016 10:34 am
Re: Leeds bridge
Thanks for your posts - great photo and great historical information!! Come down and have a ride one day
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harrym1byt
- Posts: 140
- Joined: Sun 22 Mar, 2015 10:07 pm
Re: Leeds bridge
What is the frequency of these water taxis please?
Do they still run 7 days a week?
Do they still run 7 days a week?
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harrym1byt
- Posts: 140
- Joined: Sun 22 Mar, 2015 10:07 pm
Re: Leeds bridge
After giving the water taxi service a go....harrym1byt wrote:What is the frequency of these water taxis please?
Do they still run 7 days a week?
The trip is around 7 minutes and they seem to run two boats, with a suggested frequency of around 10 minutes. They don't seem to operate to a timetable, why would they - so your wait could be around 5 to 15 minutes. It is a free service, with a tin for tips. I can certainly recommend it, but I would also like to know who pays for the service to run?
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tyke bhoy
- Posts: 2413
- Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
- Location: Leeds/Wakefield
- Contact:
Re: Leeds bridge
According to this YEP article http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-6790455 the Water Taxi is operated by Allied London who own Leeds Dock. I suppose it is little different to the bus/coach services that operate to ferry commuters from the centre of Leeds to other business parks (Arlington, Thorpe Park, Leeds Valley Park) with the major difference I suspect being that some (most?) of the passengers are actually leisure/pleasure travellers rather than workforce.
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/