The Lemi

The green spaces and places of Leeds
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Trojan
Posts: 1990
Joined: Sat 22 Dec, 2007 3:54 pm

Post by Trojan »

tyke bhoy wrote: it nearly raises as many questions as answers.Is that Hol Beck meandering behind the training grounds and football stadium approximately where the M621 is todayWhat is the building on the opposite side of Elland Rd to the Greyhound Stadium.Where exactly are the ups and downs in the photo.The railway embankment Leeds - London line, if not the rails, are clearly visible 2/3rds of the way up as is Gelderd Road topleft to where therialway line cuts the right edge.What is now the ring road (was it then?) can be seen crossing Gelderd Road and then dissappearing under Leeds - Huddersfield (Manchester) line 2/3rds of the way across the top I was redirected to this thread by Drapesy after my own question about the "ups and downs" it's fascinating. I always thought that the beck was Millshaw Beck, you crould see it clearly from the top of the 52/53 Morley bus. I had always assumed that it was either a continuation of Topcliffe Beck or that Topcliffe Beck was a tributary. Topcliffe Beck rose in the old Topcliff pit at Tingley and flowed down past Middleton Woods and under Dewsbury Road, it was an orangy brown from the iron in it I suppose. We used to spend hours trainspotting at Middleton and in between trains tried to dam it. As for Royds Lane, I think I remember the subway, I certainly remember getting access to Farnley Junction Locomotive Sheds (no longer there) from somewhere on Royds Lane.
Industria Omnia Vincit

rainone
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun 03 Feb, 2008 6:15 pm

Post by rainone »

I lived the bottom of Domestic St in the 1960's and have some pretty good recollections of the Lemi (or Lemmie?).The name Lemi was the nickname for the ground that it was known by, but the official name was Mill Green Recreation Ground.I think it's fair to say the name Lemi came from the cricket club, but football was played there in the 50's / 60's - my cousin used to play Sunday League stuff there. I'm not sure if fairs went there, didn't they go to Holbeck Moor - or is that my bad memory?The Gypsy connection probably came from the number of horses they used to graze there, in the 60's Holbeck used to be full of people we would now loosely call Gypsies, but maybe some were just rag and bone men. (OK, here's one for a new thread, does anyone remember the Pickle Yard in Domestic St? Wasn't it what would now be called a permanent caravan site?).Back to the Lemi. Strictly speaking the Lemi was the piece of ground bounded by the railway line, the Danubes and Croyden St. In the 60's the piece of ground between Croyden St and Domestic St was also loosely classed as the Lemi, this was not really a recreation area, it was a waste ground left after slum clearence of houses. As a kid at that time it seemed like that area was there for years, but maybe it was just a short period of time. Anyway, this area was built on in the late 60's by those awfull grey system build industrial units called (I believe) Barkston House, a rather grand name for a purpose built slum. To put this into a modern context the roundabout at the bottom of Domestic St, with the flyover type road linking it to Geldard Rd now cuts across the Lemi.Can't specifically remember any Goit waterways, but the tunnel under the railway was at the top end of the Lemi, at the other end of this tunnel was a pond we used to go newting in. Not sure if I have spelled that correctly but newting was fishing for those little lizard critters and putting them in jam jars. You'd probably be prosecuted for this these days.Other memories are that the Lemi was in a depression, i.e. The Danubes and the Croydens (opp. the Danubes) were elevated by about 1m above the Lemi.For those who never went there, it was not a park with flower beds etc like say, Holbeck Moor, it didn't have swings, it was at best a patch of grass. This could have been due to the Councils neglect as I am sure that by the 60's they had 'better' plans for the Lemi, as they had with the majority of Holbeck - new roads, warehouses and mass removal of the communities to other better areas like Leek St.Happy memories!

rooftop
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue 22 Jan, 2008 1:10 pm

Post by rooftop »

i all first post,here goes.i played football on the lemi in 1959\60\61.team was ace sports, we played in the red triangle league.the lemi was cinders and muck .regards rooftop

wiggy
Posts: 1088
Joined: Tue 26 Jun, 2007 9:39 am

Post by wiggy »

rainone wrote: I lived the bottom of Domestic St in the 1960's and have some pretty good recollections of the Lemi (or Lemmie?).The name Lemi was the nickname for the ground that it was known by, but the official name was Mill Green Recreation Ground.I think it's fair to say the name Lemi came from the cricket club, but football was played there in the 50's / 60's - my cousin used to play Sunday League stuff there. I'm not sure if fairs went there, didn't they go to Holbeck Moor - or is that my bad memory?The Gypsy connection probably came from the number of horses they used to graze there, in the 60's Holbeck used to be full of people we would now loosely call Gypsies, but maybe some were just rag and bone men. (OK, here's one for a new thread, does anyone remember the Pickle Yard in Domestic St? Wasn't it what would now be called a permanent caravan site?).Back to the Lemi. Strictly speaking the Lemi was the piece of ground bounded by the railway line, the Danubes and Croyden St. In the 60's the piece of ground between Croyden St and Domestic St was also loosely classed as the Lemi, this was not really a recreation area, it was a waste ground left after slum clearence of houses. As a kid at that time it seemed like that area was there for years, but maybe it was just a short period of time. Anyway, this area was built on in the late 60's by those awfull grey system build industrial units called (I believe) Barkston House, a rather grand name for a purpose built slum. To put this into a modern context the roundabout at the bottom of Domestic St, with the flyover type road linking it to Geldard Rd now cuts across the Lemi.Can't specifically remember any Goit waterways, but the tunnel under the railway was at the top end of the Lemi, at the other end of this tunnel was a pond we used to go newting in. Not sure if I have spelled that correctly but newting was fishing for those little lizard critters and putting them in jam jars. You'd probably be prosecuted for this these days.Other memories are that the Lemi was in a depression, i.e. The Danubes and the Croydens (opp. the Danubes) were elevated by about 1m above the Lemi.For those who never went there, it was not a park with flower beds etc like say, Holbeck Moor, it didn't have swings, it was at best a patch of grass. This could have been due to the Councils neglect as I am sure that by the 60's they had 'better' plans for the Lemi, as they had with the majority of Holbeck - new roads, warehouses and mass removal of the communities to other better areas like Leek St.Happy memories! i remember the horses very well,as we lived smack facing the rag and bone yard.we lived at no1 bowness place,i think the rag & bone yard was on bowness road...can you recall,and better still...do you have any old pictures??
i do believe,induced by potent circumstances,that thou art' mine enemy?

TASMAN
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun 14 Sep, 2008 4:32 pm

Post by TASMAN »

I have just discovered this site and find it fascinating.The ariel photograph of New Wortley rec shows a large rectangular outline in the grass next to the path running diagonally to the left of the picture. This is the site of air raid shelters built during WW2 and grassed over. When I was a boy you could still see the tunnel entrances which were gated to prevent access. It seems quite possible that these shelters are still there as I can never remember them being removed.

godfather
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon 08 Sep, 2008 1:09 pm

Post by godfather »

the leamington was a football pitch in the 60s you past back to backs to get to the ground, it was grass and cinders, the poor footballers would not risk it today. i believe it was near the salford hire garage at bottom of domestick street.
peter job

whippetgirl
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri 30 Jan, 2009 6:45 am

Post by whippetgirl »

simonm wrote: Biscuit Tin wrote: Great site this, I have enjoyed such a journey down memory lane you should all be knighted!!!I remember walking along Whitehall Road has a child and there was a snicket somewhere along the road that led to the park - has you walked along and up the snicket you could see the back of the cattle market.This is probably the wrong thread, but, on Geldard Road at the top off one of the Oswald's there was the Church of Nazareth, where I went from the age of 5(ish), Sunday School, until I was around 14. Does anyone else remember or attend during the 60's? Did you belong to the Young Crusaders? Hi biscuit tin I lived in Oswald Place at one point in the 60's and I went to the Church of the Nazarene Sunday School. That snicket/ginnel that led up the park took you past some allotments and I encountered a pervert on there one day when I was about ten so not great memories, but I did love the Sunday School and can still remember the songs we sang. "Mr Noah built an ark, the people thought it was a lark" and suchlike BT There are two snickets that run up to the rec! One opposite the back of the cattle market and t'other further up near the Dragon pub. The one near the pub is dead straight and the same one I still use to walk to Elland Road of a sat! The one at the bottom ends up at a tin bridge over a dissused rail line (that used to go to Wortley station), Phild has some cracking piccies of it. Cross the tin bridge and your on the bottom end of the park!
jjjjj

Chiron
Posts: 75
Joined: Sun 27 Nov, 2011 10:03 am

Post by Chiron »

Thanks for all the information about the Lemi. I didn't realise there was a thread about it, reading the comments certainly brought back lots of memories. We lived above the off licence on Geldard Road in the 60s and I used to walk across the Lemi to Matthew Murray.

harrym1byt
Posts: 140
Joined: Sun 22 Mar, 2015 10:07 pm

Re: The Lemi

Post by harrym1byt »

Hi All,

I am trying to make direct contact with Biscuit Tin, as I suspect I may know him. This web sites PM system seems not to work, it generates errors. Could anyone help me?

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