SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I live in Horsforth at the moment, and there is a very little know 'park'. Hall park is of course the main one, but up the road toward my house is another. It has some tennis courts (That can now be seen by only the odd pole out the ground, as they are so overgrown). Not quite true, in places you can still see the black tarmark with the markings on.Rumour has it that it was built for veterans of the war (Not sure whoch one), but it's still there.Its very 'hard' to get to, there used to be a smal track that ran to it form a public road, but unfortuanatley a local residant has since claimed it as their own. So there is technically no way to get to this state owned land without garden hopping.The same is true inside the park, all around the edges the houses that back onto the land just keep extending their gardens, some have no back fence at all and some reall cheeky beggers have got some proffessional fencers in and started to build paddock like areas.(However, I hear that these are to be removed by some law enforcing local residents).Its worth a look if youre in the area, there are paths that have been marked out by the people who live in the surrounding houses, not that exciting but you'know thought i'd mention it. Maybe someone should tell the council?Picture attached: Blue splodge is where my mate livesBlue line is easiest access route (from the road it looks like a track but there is a pile of rubble at the end of it then the garden starts)Green is very cheecky fences off bit wanting to be axed by a caring resident!Will add some proper photo's... Hell in a few mins I'll go check it out now!

Its acctually really hard to take any photos of the site as a whoel as its become very very overgrown (Much more since my last visit) however I did come to know that it is crown estate.

Here is the Tennis court pole promised...

This is the no very very overgrown entrance

The illegal fencing, slealing form the Queen herself!

Great stuff there mike. That's quite a large area of land. That's the things with these hidden places. If you can't see it you don't know it's there! I've driven past there loads of times and never had a clue.I think the council have a "Rights of Way" officer or section which should be able to deal with any obstructed rights of way.Strangely, this isn't the only occurence of this in Leeds. In Hyde Park there are some "land-locked" tennis courts that nobody seems to know are there. The only way to look at them is via google earth. Likewise there are some hidden footpaths in Hyde Park that seem to be built over or completely overgrown.

I lived in Horsforth for over 20 years! could you give me a clue as to whare this park is? some street names would help as i can't quite make them out on your pic! ta!

Never mind! Found it on google earth! never knew that was there!!!!

wow ive live in horsforth all my life. i never knew that park existed, thanks for the info. i shal check it out at the weekend.

Just come across this old post so thought I would add what this land was originally. The park that you are referring to has never been a public park, the land was shared land belonging to the original houses built on The Avenue, The Crescent (now just numbered as part of Hall Lane) and the few original houses on the left hand side of West End Lane above The Avenue. There was a tennis court and a wooden hut used for storage of the nets etc with a scoreboard for the tennis. There also used to be a well mown area that had a full size cricket wicket and some of the houses had an allotment.I remember the hut getting burnt down and an area of grass by a lad, who never did anything wrong according to his teacher parents, who lived in a bungalow on The Avenue.The main entrance was between 2 houses on The Avenue, now disappeared as one house has now built a wide driveway, with another footpath from West End Lane and before West End Rise estate was built there was a footpath/track to Red Beck with a metal fence to the side of the land.