2 old mile posts near Weardley.

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Leodian
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Post by Leodian »

This photo (taken April 23 2013) shows the very badly eroded side of the pillar facing Rawden Hill road that has the 'Eccup 1 mile. Addle 3 miles' on the side facing Eccup Lane (as in the first photo in this thread). I could not work out what remains of the wording on this side (the photo does not help) but I suspect it may have had the 'Otley 6¼' (it would seem unlikely to have also had the 'Eccup 1 mile' on that side unless there had been a direction hand to there as well as one to Otley). My feeling now is that the map just did not note the 'Addle 3 miles' on that pillar. I'm getting confused now (easily done ). Eccup Lane is on the left of the photo.
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Leodian
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Post by Leodian »

This photo (taken April 23 2013) shows one side of the other pillar (High Weardley Lane is behind) on which 'To Harewood 2 miles' can be made out to the bottom. The top is much more eroded but I think it might state the 'To Harewood Bridge 1¼ miles' that the map indicates. I wonder if anyone knows a link to a photo of either pillar (or photos of both) that shows their wordings when they were still legible.    
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Jogon
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Post by Jogon »

Just come home from Harrogate that way, noticed this one closer to home, junction King Ln / Eccup Lnbig stone with a benchmark    http://goo.gl/maps/LVR5m

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Leodian
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Post by Leodian »

Hi JogonThis is a photo I took of that direction pillar on July 27 2011 (I know I have a few years older photos somewhere!). This is the view taken from King Lane at 5 Lane Ends junction. On the pillar a faint hand points left to Chapeltown. That pillar is occasionally hit and I've seen it leaning a lot before it is eventually put upright again.There were guide posts at that junction at least as far back as 1851 seen on a map in the Old-Maps UK website, which also records the Bench Mark (BM). On the larger scale 1893 map the BM is given as 459.7 (thus just over 459 feet above the base level).    
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Leodian
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Post by Leodian »

This is a photo I took on July 27 2011 at 5 Lane Ends showing the pillar with its side facing Eccup Lane (King Lane is on the left, looking towards Alwoodley). The hand on the pillar points right to Adel and Leeds.
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jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Down in that Weardley area there used to be a few stone fence posts that had a hand painted white cat with stars painted on it. Also someone had painted 'I love baby lion' next to it. God knows what thats all about, I havent been down that way for a couple of years so maybe its worn away now. I always wondered what that was all about. That stretch of road at the bottom end of Eccup Lane really reminds me of a part of the French countryside for some reason.
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

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geoffb
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Post by geoffb »

[quotThat reminds me of a part of the French countryside for some reason. Totally agree with you there Jon. We spend a lot of time in the Normandy countryside and it's just like the Val d'auge without the cheese and calvados mores the pity.

Tasa
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Post by Tasa »

jonleeds wrote: Down in that Weardley area there used to be a few stone fence posts that had a hand painted white cat with stars painted on it. Also someone had painted 'I love baby lion' next to it. God knows what thats all about, I havent been down that way for a couple of years so maybe its worn away now. I always wondered what that was all about. That stretch of road at the bottom end of Eccup Lane really reminds me of a part of the French countryside for some reason. This is a possible answer to your mystery (see page 14):http://www.milestonesociety.co.uk/NL8.p ... -------Cat mystery A possible solution to the case of the cat painted on a stone adjacent to a milestone in the Adel area of Leeds (On the Ground No. 7) has been sent by Philip Sumner (Yorks.). He thinks it may have been put there by the daughter of the local farmer in High Weardley who ran a cattery. The images seemed to appear soon after the cattery was established 20 to 30 years and the images have been maintained even though the business appears to have closed. The stone pictured is on a sharp corner and can act as a warning.--------------------------------------------------------The original photo mentioned in the article was in a different publication which is not available online.    

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Thanks for finding that Tasa, its certainly an explanation to the strange painted cat images. I've trawled backwards and forwards along this lower part of Eccup Lane on Google streetview but alas I couldnt find the cat paintings, perhaps they've now gone and exist only in memory. I can remember the first time I saw them I was amazed, they did seem to last for years because everytime I've passed by that way I was surprised to see they were still there. I thought the painted cat was maybe something from the hippy-dippy 60 / 70s and it was maybe painted by some cat crazy person in memory of their beloved pet. I also found this on the Milestone Society website:------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cat stone revisited Philip Summer (Yorks.) has updated his information on the stones at the junction (SE 293445) north of Leeds (On the Ground No.1, NL8 p. 14). Two milestones stand at this junction, one at the north-east corner where Weardley Lane forks off from High Weardley Lane. The latter was the line of the Otley-Tadcaster Turnpike of 1752-3 which was diverted when Harewood House was built. The stone states 'To Harewood/2 Miles'. After 1773 the turnpike route used Weardley Lane, until 1798 when it was re-routed yet again to avoid Rowden Hill. At the south-west corner, next to Eccup Lane, is another milestone reading 'To Eccup/1 Mile/To Addle/3 Miles'. Both stones have pointing hands. Next to the Eccup stone is another substantial square stone, probably once a gatepost, with the white-painted figure of a cat on it. The cattery at Weardley Farm now has a new sign proclaiming the comforts of heated individual runs, so further curiosity could probably be satisfied by calling to enquire about the 'cat stone'. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------unfortunately no photos of the mysterious paintings, I am sure there was more than one, surely someone else must have seen them and know what I'm talking about, there were there for years...
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

LS1
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Post by LS1 »

I remember them Jon, used to come back that way often from Harrogate. Always wondered why they were there, found it a bit creepy really in some ways.

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