SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I know we have covered some folklore stuff specific to Leeds on other threads e.g The skulls,possible tunnels to various places,witches Stone, but i wondered if there are any folklore tales about specific places or that people heard about their area?I remember being told that a particular tomb in Adel churchyard with a large statue has a tale that the statue sometimes glows or moves!I know we have also already covered the alleged movement of the Leeds lions statues elsewhere<G.>.

One example of the type of stuff I mean relates to a small round mound in field next to Stonegate road near to the Oates monument.i had seen it's round shape on the Godfrey map of the area and went to look at it as a friend of mine lives nearby.She and some of her neighbours told me that it was supposed to be the grave of some soldiers killed in a skirmish in the English Civil War.I suspected it was nothing of the sort and is in fact a round barrow thus making it one of the oldest tombs in Leeds!i took an archaeologist to look at it and he confirmed that in all probability it is a round barrow that has managed to survive the onslaught of developers.the fact that it was known to be a grave in folklore is what interests me and shows how stuff can be handed down in folk tales but altered over the years as well.

Just come across this on facebook that might interest you Steve. You'll probably know the best thread on S.L to put it.http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/hotspots/leeds.php

I've heard several people insist that St Georges Field - the old cemetery at the Clarendon Road end of the University - contains plague pits.I seriously doubt this as the cemetery was only opened in 1835. Nevertheless, I suppose it's possible that the cemetery was constructed "around" aged pits.Perhaps more likely is the possibility that the area was used to accept the remains of those thousands who died in the cholera and typhus epidemics in Leeds in the 1840s.Can anyone shed any light on this?

Linky Oik wrote: Perhaps more likely is the possibility that the area was used to accept the remains of those thousands who died in the cholera and typhus epidemics in Leeds in the 1840s.Can anyone shed any light on this? In fact Cholera victims are more likely as there were many bad outbreaks in the 19th century.A similar story is told about an area next to wakefield cathedral.

Phill_dvsn wrote: Just come across this on facebook that might interest you Steve. You'll probably know the best thread on S.L to put it.http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/hotspots/leeds.php Thanks Phil i know about the Paranormal database and use it but hadn't looked at the Leeds entries for a while.

looking at the site mentioned for the quarry Hill photo's i stumbled across this on inputting folklore:http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll/l ... tm#Sedimit looks like there is a lot of interesting stuff in there if it is catalogued.Dare one hope there might be something about the skulls lurking within?

Thanks for that interesting link Steve.

Steve hiThere's an eerie one up our way, bend on Stairfoot Lane best avoided at night:-~ ~ ~ ~In spite of it's heavy industry, Leeds was not too badly bombed by the Germans during WW2 The Avro Lancaster Bomber Factory at Yeadon was a main target and so the black-outs were important, as was draining Golden Acre Lake to avoid confusion with Yeadon Tarn and resultant bomb drop.Thousands of people died in road accidents due to the black-out.A bad one down Stairfoot Lane in about 1944. On the bend before the descent to bridge cottage, just down past where the car park is now.Occupants killed on impact apart from little girl thrown clear with her doll who died later. I've had the misfortune to cycle home that route late one dark night, the bike lights picked out what looked like a girl running at me.I braced ready for impact but no one there. Couple of days later I checked my helmetcam (image above).I just don't use that road now

[quotenick="Jogon"]Steve hiThere's an eerie one up our way, bend on Stairfoot Lane best avoided at night:-~ ~ ~ ~Interesting one,thanks Jogon.i was planning on having a walk down stairfoot lane to get to Adel Woods sometime in the next couple of months,so it is added interest.