What was/is this area in LS16 used for?

The green spaces and places of Leeds
jonleeds
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Joined: Thu 31 Jan, 2008 4:59 pm

Post by jonleeds »

Thanks for the directions Leedslad31, I'll try and get up there for a scout around and try take some photos when this terrible wind stops! Althought the Leeds City Council website says that the hut circles are actually in Clayton Woods on the south west side of Iveson Drive - see here in their map:But on the same website it says there are also similar stone hut circles in Iveson Woods which must be the ones you are referring to, so I'll go have a look at them first so I can get an idea of what I'm looking for.This is the website of Scheduled Ancient Monuments where I got this information from, there are some interesting things on here that I never knew existed until I found this website:http://www.leeds.gov.uk/page.aspx?pagei ... F8E8AThats interesting about the quern stone Grumpybloke, do you think its still there? I've found some interesting stones around the woods, some that I think are very old, but its hard to tell if they are ancient or just remnants from Brigg's quarry. Do you think you'd remember where the beehive quern was or do you think someone had it for a garden ornament long ago?    
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

Leedslad31
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Post by Leedslad31 »

Cheers for the info.Johnny...I'll check out the website. I had no idea there were hut circles in the area shown on the Council map - the ones in Iveson Woods were the only ones I'd heard about,between Beevers Court flats and the bungalows on Iveson Lawn. I must have a look for the Clayton huts one day soon.Take care,Gary.
I'm interested in lots of stuff!

grumpybloke
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Post by grumpybloke »

Thats interesting about the quern stone Grumpybloke, do you think its still there? I've found some interesting stones around the woods, some that I think are very old, but its hard to tell if they are ancient or just remnants from Brigg's quarry. Do you think you'd remember where the beehive quern was or do you think someone had it for a garden ornament long ago?I am going back over 40 years but I remember exactly where I found it. I was only about 14 or even younger but I knew what it was as I read lots of history/archaeology books.I wanted to be an archaeologist at one point. I was friendly with the lad next door at the time and it ended up in his garden for some reason. It may be used as a plant pot now!

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Ah right, well I know that they built a lot of houses on the Backhouse woods about 20 years ago, a strip of the woods remain. I guess this beehive quernstone might either be in someones garden then or its ended up in a skip or something. Shame really as some of them are museum pieces and I guess it would be worth hundreds of pounds, there was a programme on tv recently about a guy who buys architectural salvage items and he bought these old staddle stones which are only a few hundred years old for £250 each and apparently they were going to sell for over £350 each!
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

grumpybloke
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Post by grumpybloke »

They actually built on the field between Backhouse Wood and Spring Wood. The two woods are pretty much the same as they have been for donkeys years. I must have a "butchers" round the woods sometime and see the remains that have been mentioned.

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BarFly
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Location: In t' pub in Leeds (see picture).

Post by BarFly »

I walked round Clayton wood the other day hoping to find the remains of the stone hut circles but the area was a lot more overgrown with holly and brambles than I had expected so without knowing what to look for I didn't search too long and found nothing. Might visit there now and again and search more thoroughly and methodically.As to jon's "Kirksall Abbey Tunnel" I'm tempted to take a walk around the woods a Hawksworth to see whether I can find it -- if I do I may move a few stones out of the wa of the entrance. If I find the treasure I'll be sure to leave a note...        

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

Grumpybloke, I didnt realise there used to be a field between the woods in that area, I just assumed they'd cut into the woods to build the houses. Although the woodland in that area is made up of some very mature beech and oak trees that I doubt they would be allowed to cut down en masse especially these days when tree preservation orders exist. I notice that in the Spring Wood side of the woodland just to the left of Silk Mill Approach someone has created some kind of BMX / mountain bike tracks which must have taken several weeks to dig out / landscape. It looks to be quite well used by the locals too. The quarry and surrounding woodland has been a very popular place for people to come ride motocross bikes, mostly on a weekend, although it seems to have declined over the past few years since the police were given offroad motorbikes to patrol these areas of woodland. Barfly, I also had the same problem when I went looking for the stone hut circles, for starters I didnt really know what I was looking for, and then the area where they are supposed to be located is totally overgrown with thick holly / brambles / bracken etc so its nigh on impossible to find them, I guess they are probably partly submerged below 4000+ years of leaf litter. You would think there would be more of a feature made of these remains with them been within an urban area. Most neolithic remains tend to be out on remote moorland and I was really surprised the first time I heard there was something like this so close to where I lived. Good luck with checking out the Kirkstall Abbey Secret Tunnel, but its not just a case of moving aside a few rocks to gain access, the entrance 2/3rds submerged in soil and then the heavy iron doors hinges are totally seized up. The door is only open about 3 inches so you cant even poke your head inside to have a look down the tunnel. The only way I was able to take my photo was by holding my camera through the gap in the doorway and taking a photo and then looking at the photograph to see what it looked like inside.
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

electricaldave
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Joined: Thu 29 Nov, 2007 2:29 pm

Post by electricaldave »

The open patch between the woods was farmland, I remember the two farms that used to be there, I expect its well within the recall of a few other Secret Leedsers.The boundary between the fields and Cookridge /Ida hospitals is not the orginal, there was an expansion and they stole some of the woods on the north side and some of the fiileds on the south.The woods to the north were part of the grounds of Cookridge Towers, there used to be an orchard and large cold house in there. Some pathways will still be there and can be found by looking for the edging tiles.

jonleeds
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Post by jonleeds »

I can remember years ago my mates dad told us that a lot of the mature woodland around this part of Leeds belonged to the ancient Forest of Knaresborough which was like a medieval hunting forest. I dunno how true this is or not. Has anyone else ever heard anything like this before?
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

electricaldave
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Post by electricaldave »

Yes, I was taught that the Forest of Knaresborough extended right the way down and that Sherwood Forest is but a small part of it, hence the claims that Robin Hood was a Yorkshireman.

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