Historic Roundhay

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Fri 22 Jul, 2011 11:10 pm

24th July, 10.30am – 12.30pm Bryon Roberts will conduct a walk and explain the historic features of Wykebeck, Asket Hill and the historic buildings on Wetherby Road. The walk will continue up Elmete Lane to Cobble Hall. This royal route was frequented by Medieval Kings and includes a visit to a Romano British sacred site. The walk is approximately 2 miles long. Park at the Roundhay Park Lido car park off Wetherby Road and meet at the Wetherby Road entrance to Wykebeck Woods. • The event is free, and are open to all. Children are welcome but under-18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. • Please wear sturdy shoes, and come prepared for rain, shine and (for hayfever sufferers) pollen! You may want to bring some water with you to drink. • Please call Wyke Beck Valley Ranger Philip Thorpe on (0113) 237 5275 or Senior Ranger Jennifer Rogers on (0113) 237 5317 for further details, or email

Croggy2 · Post by **Croggy2** » Sat 23 Jul, 2011 4:16 pm

I was just going to post this, after receiving a newsletter stating the details, lol. Sounds good, but I'm not sure if I can make it tomorrow.

Post by **chameleon** » Sat 23 Jul, 2011 8:09 pm

Will you be going Brunel? Perhaps you could post a synopsis sfterwards if so, perhps fill-in a few details we are missing in the various related threads

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 3:41 pm

Brunel wrote: Bryon Roberts will conduct a walk and explain the historic features of Wykebeck, Asket Hill Just got back from a weekend away, would love to have gone.Would love to know anything noted about the weir at Foxwood Farm site. the straightening of the wyke beck, below and the course of the watercourse from ellers close dam to a mill site in the 1600's and was this a corn mill.All unanswered mysteries.....

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 3:41 pm

chameleon wrote: Will you be going Brunel? Perhaps you could post a synopsis sfterwards if so, perhps fill-in a few details we are missing in the various related threads My post a detailed seconding of your post....

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 5:13 pm

The Parksider wrote: chameleon wrote: Will you be going Brunel? Perhaps you could post a synopsis sfterwards if so, perhps fill-in a few details we are missing in the various related threads My post a detailed seconding of your post.... Yes would have been good - I wonder how our potential questioning about some perticular areas might hve been received and answered???

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 6:02 pm

A very interesting walk.A lot of the information has been "published" before on S.L.A good start would be here:http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nev.hurworth/index.htmOf special interest was the old camp site off Elmete Lane.Remains of a Roman Alter were found, now in the city museum.This was an important Romano/British site, and a large archaeological survey was at one time carried out.Apparently the findings of this survey have never been published, and are locked away in some archive in Wakefield.P.S. link corrected. Ta!!

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 7:04 pm

Brunel wrote: A very interesting walk.A lot of the information has been "published" before on S.L.A good start would be here:http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nev.hurworth/index.htmOf special interest was the old camp site off Elmete Lane.Remains of a Roman Alter were found, now in the city museum.This was an important Romano/British site, and a large archaeological survey was at one time carried out.Apparently the findings of this survey have never been published, and are locked away in some archive in Wakefield. The link unfortunately does not work. I have however found that if it is copied without the full stop then pasted as a web address it then brings up the webpage. I hope that makes sense.

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 8:48 pm

Leodian, Brunel - I've removed the offending stop and all seems to be well Going through the links there is a lot of interesting stuff including pics of the Olympia works.http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nev.hurwor ... Page12.htm

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » Sun 24 Jul, 2011 11:03 pm

The Roundhay and District Electric Lighting Co. Ltd 1901—1914 The R&DELC became operational in 1901.20 years before this, at the Paris Exhibition of 1881 Europe had been metaphorically electrified by the US company Edison’s exhibit and subsequently there had been an explosion of interest in electrification schemes. The UK Government Acts of 1882 & 1888 laid down a legal framework, much biased toward municipalities, whereby private companies could supply electricity, but most municipalities already had town gas making & distribution networks operating so there was a general reluctance to introduce a competing service. So it was left largely to private companies to innovate. Swan had commercialised his development of his incandescent filament lamps in 1881 and quickly merged with Edison to form the Swan-Edison operation. First London and then Brighton (1888 ) got ‘House to House’ supply companies. Leeds & Bradford both shilly-shallied but by 1890 both had systems up & running: Bradford had a D.C. system but Leeds a technically superior A.C. one. Here in Leeds a joint company was formed by “House to House” interests and a Leeds company, J. Fowler, a specialist in steam engines . This eventually became the Leeds and Yorkshire House to House Electricity Supply Co Ltd and was taken into municipal ownership in 1898. The Township of Roundhay was outside Leeds CC boundaries and so did not benefit immediately, but had to wait until a group of local business men promoted the establishment of the R&DELC by Act of Parliament. Why the delay? Gas was by now widely available and the invention of the gas mantle & its commercialisation in 1890 vastly improved the quality of light that could be achieved over naked gas burners. The premises of the R&DELC were on Wetherby Road in what is now a private house, 126.D.C. was chosen as being the simplest and cheapest system. In 1912 the Township of Roundhay was incorporated into Leeds CC and by 1914 R&DELC was taken over by the Leeds municipal undertaking, and an AC. system introduced. I acknowledge the sources of Geoff Hall (Oak Leaves, autumn 2001) and Gavin Weightman (‘Children of Light’ Atlantic, 2011)