SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Walking on the rough track from the Slabbering Baby spring in Adel Woods to the very near small pond you cross over Nanny Beck using a small clapper bridge. I have often used that small footbridge but I have never really given any thought to it. I recently though wondered about what seem to be stone steps on the pool side of the bridge. Though the appearance of the site seems not to have changed in the many years that I've seen it the site may have looked quite different in the past. I wonder for example why there may once have been a need for steps (assuming that is what they are). The bridge (marked 'FB', so footbridge) is marked there on an 1893 1:2,500 map (as was the pond and Mill Fall Cottage) so it was there at least then, though it and the pond are not marked on an 1851 1:10,560 map but perhaps the scale is too small. I have been unable to readily find (even on Leodis) any photos showing the site so I would be grateful if anyone knows of any that show it looking differently to what it does now.

These are 3 photos that I took on July 17 2017. Note that the ground on the beck side of the bridge does seem to have eroded so the steps have little behind them there. There is also a long stone pillar lying down on that side that looks as if it may have fallen at some time so perhaps it once supported the bridge.

Could this be an old mounting block to mount a horse.?They could have dismounted to cross the bridge just a thought.

tilly wrote:Could this be an old mounting block to mount a horse.?They could have dismounted to cross the bridge just a thought.

Hi tilly . That's an interesting suggestion and not one that I had thought of.

With what at least now is a more or less level access on and off the bridge there does not seem to be a need of steps, but there might have been in the past. The large stone pillars are also interesting as they may have had a definite use at one time. I wonder if there was ever a gate or something to stop people and/or horses charging across? Perhaps there was a barrier on the sides of the bridge over Nanny Beck to stop falls into it? It's a shame there may be no old photos of the bridge showing what it looked like.

I was there yesterday, it's a lovely lump of stone.....

I Leodian why i thought of this was few years ago at the bottom of Keeper Lane a rider rode her horse across the metal bridge. Or she might have lead it across either way the horse slipped splaying its legs and had to be put down, you can see the danger of riding across a narrow stone bridge still just a thought.

tilly wrote:I Leodian why i thought of this was few years ago at the bottom of Keeper Lane a rider rode her horse across the metal bridge. Or she might have lead it across either way the horse slipped splaying its legs and had to be put down, you can see the danger of riding across a narrow stone bridge still just a thought.

I'm not totally ruling out the mounting stone but playing Devils Advocate

1. There appear to be 4 "corner stones" wouldn't the diagonally opposite one also have some evidence of steps

• Wouldn't the horse be still be partly/mainly on the bridge

• I'm no equine expert but don't you mount horses from the left. The horse would be facing across the bridge

When I took the photos of the clapper bridge on July 17 2017 the Sun shining through trees caused some problems which is why there are bright areas on the photos. This is a photo that I took on August 15 2016 that shows a better view and particularly of the clapper stone.

Hi leodian knowing me im probably totally out of the ball park, if you were crossing the bridge going forward then it would be ok for dismounting .Likewise on the other side if there was another one to the right of your photograph it would allow you to dismount from the left also.What am i talking about im like the water under that bridge babbling on,Ha Ha.

Hi Leodian I'm new here, We have a full team work of making ETFE buildings. Last year I visited this place with my colleague that was a sunny day we enjoyed allot there, it's such a lovely lump of stone. I stayed almost 3 to 5 hoursthere it was the pleasant moment in my life.

webmaster786 wrote:Hi Leodian I'm new here, We have a full team work of making ETFE buildings. Last year I visited this place with my colleague that was a sunny day we enjoyed allot there, it's such a lovely lump of stone. I stayed almost 3 to 5 hoursthere it was the pleasant moment in my life.

Hi and welcome webmaster786 .

It is a nice area to have a walk, when the tracks in the wood and area are not muddy! . You may have seen the small pond that is near the clapper bridge. It does get very overgrown with pond weeds but it is an interesting very old feature. This is a photo of it I took on July 5 2017.